


Empty

by LunarLover12



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Character Death, M/M, Romance, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Suicide, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-24
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-04-23 03:23:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4861145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunarLover12/pseuds/LunarLover12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal.' SasuNaru. Naruto becomes depressed with Kyuubi whispering false things in his mind. He thinks he's fooled everyone, but there's a certain someone who won't stop until he's found out what has happened to the blonde.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on Fanfiction.net under the same name but the site is slowly going downhill for me. So I'm transferring it over here with intentions of putting a chapter ever week. While doing so, I'm going to try to fix mistakes that I missed the first time and add/erase things that I deem necessary.

Empty. That's what I feel most of the time. Like there's no emotion inside of me. Some people call it depressed. I call it normal. There are times when I do feel something. It's usually anger, rarely sad. I had long forgotten what being happy felt like. Of course, like any other person, I cried as well. But at the said time, I would feel nothing, like usual. Confusing, right? It's difficult to explain and even harder to live with it, questioning everything. 'If I was normal, what would I be feeling now?'

I thought often of death. Not to actually plan to kill myself, God no. But to wonder who would notice that I was gone first. Who would miss me the most-or even at all. That kind of stuff.

What made these thoughts grow, you ask? The fact that the one person you love constantly puts you down, showing just how superior he is to me. And how girls fell all over him. No one paid me attention, but he had the spotlight almost all the time. He had money, attention, and good looks. But that's where the charms stopped for the girls. He's a betraying bastard who seemed to lack a heart. But I was just like his fan girls. I fell for him twice as hard as any of them. Mind you, I was a lot quieter about my crush for him than they were.

But no one caught on to how I really felt. I had a mental switch, see? Emotionless face one second. Someone walks into the room. Happy-go-lucky Naruto that everyone knows and despises. Yes. They despise me. After all, who would like me? The freaky demon vessel? No one, that's who.

There were days when I feel as though I can't put up the façade. So I would stay home from training, saying I was sick when they came back and asked why I wasn't there.  
One thing that did help me, however, was my music. When I had nothing to do, which was often, I would turn some music on. Mostly metal. I know, not what all of my 'friends' thought I would normally listen to. But I usually ignored the lyrics at first and just listened to the instruments. I liked to decipher which played where, how fast the beat was at certain parts of a song, and to just try to get a glimpse of their current feelings at that moment of time. With metal, you get an easy to understand feeling if you found it.

To some people, it sounded like kids screaming into microphones, banging on instruments they didn't know how to use. To others, it was party music. To me, it was my haven. I knew what sadness was when I saw or heard it, so I looked for it. It was hard to find in some songs, buried under the anger they mixed into the songs. And that was the thrill to me: trying to find it and understand what inspired them to play it. The latter wasn't hard really, once you listened to the song again and paid attention to the lyrics.

-SasuNaruSasu-

And now I'll tell you how the kunais came into the picture. We were almost to Konoha after a mission. Nothing too big. But Sakura had been talking the entire way back about how I had somehow screwed their plan up. My act was slipping fast. A familiar feeling rose in my chest. Anger. Anger at Sakura for not shutting up. Anger at Kakashi for pointing it out. Anger at myself for being so stupid. And anger at Sasuke for smirking, calling me a dobe, then fixing what I messed up. My hands turned into fists and I wanted to hit her. I kept in mind that I couldn't, but before I could tell myself anything else, one thing interrupted my thoughts. Sasuke. Like always. "If you wouldn't be so pathetic and became a little smarter, you wouldn't be so useless." He had said in his annoying, usual, all-knowing tone.

A punch to the face he didn't expect sent him flying into the nearest tree. "I'm going home." I hissed before disappearing. Only a minute later, I was home, listening to my usual metal. Then I spotted my kunai bag on my bed. I deserved to be hurt. I let my act slip, probably hinted to my entire team that something wasn't right. I drew the sharp blade to my wrist. Then stopped. I slipped my pants off and rolled up a little of my boxers. Cutting two long marks that almost wrapped around my entire thigh on both sides.

That's when I felt something. I felt... light. A smile, not a fake nor sarcastic smile graced my lips. I wanted more of it but I knew that in order for me to keep doing this, I would need to limit myself. If I marked my entire body, people would see. And any sign of weakness others saw was not acceptable to me! Naruto Uzumaki was not weak! I was anything but to have survived the last 18 years of my life!


	2. Chapter 2

The morning after the incident, I went to training with a smile on my face. I was happy. I felt light with the cuts I added to my new collection this morning and I was still a little boastful that I had caught the great Sasuke Uchiha off guard. That soon faded when I was met by a mob of fan girls. "What did you do to Sasuke's face?" They screamed at me at once. Confused, I stole a glance in his direction and smiled.

"It's obvious. I made him look better." I answered with a laugh. Looking at him again, I took in his appearance. Still stunning good looks, annoyed posture, and a glare that made me chuckle. His entire left eyes was swelling and was a dark purple.

Then Kakashi appeared. He was in the middle of feeding us one of his lame excuses when he opened his eye and saw Sasuke's face. He stopped what he was saying and stared. He then straightened up to compose himself. With a wave of his hand and a 'Buzz off', the annoying fan girls were gone. They had long since learned to not argue with Kakashi when we were about to train.

We did our usual training and, of course, I goofed off. My happiness was already gone and my act was doing its job. Sasuke, however, kept looking over at me. I didn't know what his problem was, but it me nervous. Did he suspect my act? So I acted like I was irritated. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." I mumbled. But alas! He heard me! What a surprise.

"Why would I want a picture of you?" A tiny cut to my heart. I wasn't about to get angry from that. I was fixing to say one of my amazing comebacks when Sakura hit me on my head. I wanted to hit her back but couldn't. I was supposed to be in love with her. Not him. I didn’t know why I still acted like I was, but it was easier than to drop it suddenly. So I clutched my head in pain and hissed. "That hurt Sakura-chan!" I whined like usual.

"Stop pestering Sasuke, you idiot! He can do whatever he wants!" She yelled. Another little cut to the heart. That last part got me thinking.

If it was me who just up and left for two-three years, would I be welcomed as easily as him? I mean, after all, we didn't even get to the gates before the fan girls started squealing. When I took him to the Hokage, she almost immediately put him as an ANBU. Within a week, he was trusted again and back in Team 7.

But if it were me, what would happen then? The possibilities stayed in my mind for the entire day. I didn't realize Sasuke repeatedly glancing at me nor the looks he and Kakashi shared.

When I was finally allowed to go home, I wasted no time. I went to the store to buy an excessive amount of ramen, because that's what the old Naruto would do. Most of these wouldn't be eaten anyway.

Once home, I literally threw the cups of ramen onto the table and turned on my music. The bass, the drums, and the lyrics pounded into me as I turned it up. As I turned around to go back into the kitchen to get a banana, my music stopped. Grumbling about the electricity, I snatched up my yellow fruit. I then turned around to see what had happened and almost dropped my healthy snack. What the hell was he doing in my apartment?

Sasuke was there, standing in the living room of my apartment. He had obviously turned my music off, for his finger was still on the button. I fixed a scowl on my face as I crossed my arms. "There's such a thing called knocking. It does wonders." I growled at him. He glared at me and then I noticed his black eye was gone.

"Sakura healed it." He said, as if reading my mind.

"That doesn't explain why you're in my house." He shrugged.

"Kakashi sent me here to check up on you." And like a snap of my fingers, my mental switch flipped.

"Aw man! Why couldn't he have sent Sakura instead of you, teme?" I complained in my usual Naruto voice. His eyes narrowed, my guess from calling him a teme.

"Because she didn't notice." He said softly. I chose to ignore him.

"So then? Why'd he send you?"

"I already told you. To che-" He said before I interrupted him.

"Ya ya. But why? Did something happen that I wasn't aware of?" I asked, getting slightly nervous.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know what's going on in his mind." He answered. I studied him carefully. Then a grin placed itself on my lips, one that I had practiced many times to perfect to look like my old one. "Ne, Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"Wanna go get some ramen?"

"…"

I complained, just like I usually did until the Uchiha finally gave in. "Yes! You're paying!" I practically shouted. A grunt was my response as I dragged him to Ichiraku's, almost against my own will. A while back, I had gotten sick of ramen. I only kept eating the vile stuff to keep up my act.

I greeted the old man like usual and sat down. He looked over at us and fixed our orders without even asking us. He looked at me. "Sasuke's paying?" he asked. I grinned like the fool I was acting to be and nodded. The other male spoke something under his breath that I chose to ignore. He sure wasn't nice sometimes.

We talked about the usual stuff. Well, I talked mostly while he gave noises. "You sound like an animal." I had commented a few weeks ago once. He just raised an eyebrow. "Ya know. With those grunts and all. You sound like an animal." I explained. He rolled his eyes and turned away, as if he didn't care. But I didn't hear any grunts for an entire week afterwards.

So as I ate my third bowl -ugh!- he decided to speak. "Since when did you start listening to that?" He asked, referring to my music.

"A long time ago. Duh, teme." I joked as a fourth bowl of steaming hot ramen materialized in front of me. I shoved a mouthful into my mouth and slurped. "Why do you act?" He asked, causing me to choke. I swallowed what noodles were in my mouth as I coughed. Taking long sips from my water to buy time, I thought.

"Wh-what do you mean teme? You could've killed me, you know!" I yelled, hoping to change the subject.

"No one would care." My heart was ripped in half with those four words. Of course I had known that. But perhaps a small part of me had been holding onto the false hope that maybe someone would care? Something like that wouldn't faze the old Naruto Uzumaki. So I just blew it off. "Ha! Ya right!" I exclaimed. Then I shoveled some more food into my mouth.

"You didn't answer my question." He said lowly, getting angry. When in doubt, play dumb.

"Nani? What question?" I asked innocently. His eyebrow twitched. Yup, definitely getting mad.

"Why. Do. You. Act?" He spoke slowly, clearly getting aggravated. I gritted my teeth in frustration but gave him a confused smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about teme." I said before putting more food into my mouth.

"Yes you do." He replied smoothly, staring into my eyes. His gaze was so focused, it sent chills down my spine. I gulped.

"Nope. Not a clue."

"Don't lie to me, idiot."

"Not lying." His eyes narrowed dangerously. Before either of us could say anything else, Tsunade yelled for me. I ran off before he could stop me with a 'Hold up Baa-chan!' towards the old woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to those who left kudos and commented on the last chapter (even you mysterious guest who I know is secretly a fan ;)) I was so happy that I decided to add this chapter a day early. And I had to stop myself from posting it a lot earlier haha! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Sasuke's PoV~

He was hiding something, I knew that much. Today, I saw him smiling. Not like every other day. No, this smile was real. That is, until he caught me staring at him. But when Sakura had butted in, his fake smile returned. I hated that smile. It meant that he was hiding his true feelings and I couldn't see them. It bothered me to no end that I could no longer read him as well as I did before I left the village. However, I planned on changing that soon.

And that's why I decided to go out and eat with him. He went through our normal topics, but I held no desire to listen to those. So, I took the chance when I saw it and asked him what has been on my mind for a long time. It was not the reaction I had expected, but it worked. He had admitted that something was up without saying anything.

Progress! 

Then he changed the subject, saying that he could've died. "No one would care." I had said cruelly then immediately regretted it. His fake smile flickered and there was an unusual emotion in his normally bright blue eyes. I usually don't lie, but that sentence had slipped out before I could stop it.

And then he was back to his fake smile. God, it reminded me of Sai! Obviously fake but the only one he would give. By the time our conversation was over, I only knew one thing: that I would do whatever it took to bring back his beautiful original smile. I watched his retreating back as he caught up to the Hokage for a second before looking in front of me to the jounin that had taken Naruto's spot. "You're paying." I simply said before standing up and walking out of Ichiraku's. Kakashi was beside me in a flash. "Well? What'd you find out?" He asked curiously. I sighed.

"Something is up. I don't know what yet, but I'll find out. Did you know he listened to metal?" I asked, looking at him from the corner of my eye. He looked at me confused before shrugging.

"Really? I never would've thought… But that doesn't mean anything."

"No. I guess not." I grumbled. A short silence. "How long has he been acting like this?" I asked. The older man thought for a moment.

"I'm not entirely sure. A few months before he brought you back? Maybe?" He shrugged again.

I pondered over that. 'What was it that had changed you, Naruto?' I asked myself. "Sakura was the first to notice. She pointed out how he looked different. But when he started acting weirder, she refused to acknowledge it. She acted as if she didn't notice." He said before pausing, debating on whether to tell me something or not. "She loves him. More than she loves you." That shocked me. She certainly didn't act like it. Well, then again, neither did I.

It seemed like we were all acting a little.

Kakashi chuckled. "Looks like you have a rival, Sasuke." He joked. It didn't surprise me that he knew. After all, that man seemed to know just about everything that involved Team 7. A simple 'shut up' was my only reply.

I had left the jounin in the dust to go home when I stopped. The familiar voice of the Kyuubi vessel reached my ears. "No. I won't do it." He said. I crept closer, trying to see who it was he was talking to. I didn't hear anyone answer, but he did. "No. I'm fine as it is. I don't need you making it worse….Help me? My ass!" He spoke angrily. Once he was in view I scanned the area. No one was nearby. I didn't realize I was holding my breath until he spoke again. "I know you're there Sasuke." He said low enough so I could barely hear.

I carefully stepped down from the branch I had been on to land on the balls of my feet softly. He didn't even turn around. "Naruto." I whispered. His entire body tensed. I stepped closer to the blonde.

"Why do you sound worried?" He asked. I paused. Did I really sound worried? True, I was worried about it, but I don't think I sounded concerned. I decided to answer truthfully.

"Because you've been acting differently ever since I came back." He turned around to face me angrily.

"Ever since you came back? No! More like, ever since I dragged you back bloody and broken!" He hissed in my face, red swirling around in his eyes, whiskers slightly more animalistic. I took an unconscious step back.

"Same thing!" I growled right back.

"Same thing?! It's not the same thing!"

"Same results! Both of them end with me being back in the village!" I said through clenched teeth.

"Che! Whatever teme!" He growled before turning around once more to face the trees.

"Anyways, you've been acting weird ever since you brought me back." I said angrily.

"People change teme. And things tend to be a little more obvious when you haven't seen them for two and a half years." He hissed at me. I winced. So he was still angry about that.

"What happened to you? What changed you?" I asked softly.

"You did."

"Me? How did I come into it?"

"You've been in it, Sasuke. Ever since the beginning." He answered, just as softly. He finally turned around again to look me in the eyes. There was that expression! It sent chills down my spine. His eyes… they looked…..empty. Like he was just an empty shell. I'm not going to lie. It scared me.

"Naruto." I whispered with concern heavy in my voice. I took another few steps closer to him. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and make that painful expression disappear. But an Uchiha wouldn't do that. So I just settled on standing there like a fool waiting for him to do something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the kudos and comments! I get really impatient when it comes to updating if I have the story done. So I decided to update it early because you're all very lovely people~


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE ARE TRIGGERS IN THIS CHAPTER!!!!! This chapter gets a bit... detailed about a certain topic. So if you're not into me describing what Naruto does and thinks, I suggest you just skip this chapter. Or not read. I mean, the tags say it all.
> 
> Take that as you will :3

I watched his reaction as my words sank in. Concern was the main emotion I got from him. But there was something underneath that. Something I couldn't quite grasp. He spoke my name so softly, it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Then he took a few closer to me, so I took an equal amount back. Another silence passed between us as we stared at each other, emotionless eyes battling ones filled with feelings. Then Sasuke finally spoke up. "That expression doesn't suit you, Naruto." My brows furrowed in confusion as I tried to figure out what had brought that statement forth. "Today, when you really smiled, you're eyes lit up. You just looked so….beautiful. But when you look like that," he paused slightly to motion towards me, "it breaks my heart." He whispered. My mind was still stuck on one specific word, however. Beautiful. Sasuke Uchiha called me beautiful. He stepped closer once more.

**"Lies, kit! Don't listen to him. He's blowing sunshine up your ass."**  Kyuubi hissed in my mind. That snapped me back to focus. Taking an unconscious step backwards, Sasuke continued to progress on me. I bit my bottom lip as I thought.  **"Remember kit. He's the one that said that no one would care if you'd die."**  The demon growled. Kyuubi had a point. Sasuke did say that. So I did the only thing I could think of.

I ran.

I ran as fast as I could and as far as I could while still staying within the gates. I ran past Ichiraku's, up to the Hokage's Monument. Stopping on top of the Fourth's head, I caught my breath. Plopping down to watch the sunset while I tried to get my thoughts straight. Kyuubi was still talking to me, however, making it impossible to do so. I didn’t pay much attention to what he was actually saying, but the noise was still there. So after a few minutes of sitting and staring into the village, I finally stood up. I started my slow walk back to my house.

As I walked, I tried to force myself into thinking of something else. Anything else to help shut Kyuubi up. He still rambled on about whatever it was that he was talking about, but I wasn’t really listening anymore. All I wanted to was get back to my apartment already. I could feel my skin tingling in anticipation; it already knew what I was going to do. And I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t a little excited as well. To feel the blade on my flesh once more, creating lines that turned red as blood spilled out of them. Shivers went down my back as I thought of it.

Once I was back in my little apartment that I called home, I turned on my music and let it go as high as it was allowed. I pushed Sasuke's words, Kyuubi's voice, and my own thoughts out of my head as the metal pounded my brain. Finally! Some quiet in my own mind. Quickly making sure that all the windows and the door were locked before shutting all the curtains, I then went into the bathroom. Sasuke had been right. Absolutely no one would care if I just died. Hell! I'm sure the entire village wanted me to die! To get rid of the Kyuubi vessel. To get rid of the brat who always messed things up. To rid of the one that they still resented even after saving their pathetic village more than once.

My hands clenched into fists as I thought of that and I could feel a lump starting to form in my throat.. I hated them. I hated them all. They acted like they treasured me after the incident with Pain, but truly they still despised me. I saw the looks many of them still gave me when they thought I wasn't paying attention. And, let's be honest, that happened often. Sakura had said that she loved me. She told me that she had gotten over Sasuke. But then he comes back and it's back to the older days, when we were just starting out as Team 7. All the attention on Sasuke while I got pushed out of the way.

In a burst of anger, I lashed out at the closest thing to me. The sink. The object which had happened to be helping me stay standing at the moment. It broke with little resistance and I went with it along with whatever else was on it. I heard a clank somewhere to my left and I looked over towards it. A single kunai lay there. Tempting me.

Gently, ever so gently, I picked it up and ran my finger along the edge of it. I repeated the simple act many times while just staring at it. Only a moment more of debating, and then my mind was made up. No one would care anyways. Gingerly lifting the metal object to my wrist I made a faint line. I pushed down until a steady stream of crimson water flowed down onto the floor and myself. Using all of my willpower to grab the kunai with my steadily growing numb fingers, I lifted it to my other wrist. I applied the same pressure as I did to the other and a sad smile graced my lips. I could faintly hear the weapon hit the tiled floor as black dots filled my vision. A steady ringing started in my ears as I closed my eyes and let my head fall back, hitting the tub behind me.

The last thing I would ever remember would be the feeling of my music pounding through my body, lulling me to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this chapter was short. But I had been leading up to the ending of this the entire time, so I just HAD to get it there. And I tried to make it longer without actually changing a whole lot about it. Yeah. That didn't work very well..  
> And besides! Who doesn't like a magnificent cliff hanger such as that?! The me from years ago thought that was a great way to end the chapter, and the present me agrees!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is in Sasuke's PoV! Woo for Sasuke~

I pounded on the apartment door in front of me, cursing silently. I knew he was here! His music was blaring for Christ's sake! After a second of impatiently waiting, I tried opening the door. Locked. I rolled my eyes. Figures. I wasn’t sure why, but I had a very bad feeling in my stomach that wouldn’t leave.

Without a second thought, I broke the door down and charged in. I checked in the living room, kitchen, and bedroom. Only the bathroom left. I put my hand on the door handle and prayed to whatever God was up there that he wasn't doing anything embarrassing in there. I could only imagine his reaction if I walked in on him bathing, completely naked with water making his skin glisten and st-

_‘Snap out of it!’_ I hissed to myself, shaking my head to help get rid of those thoughts.

Flinging the door open, I faltered in my steps. He was leaning against the tub, seemingly asleep. But blood was everywhere; on the floor, on his skin, and on his clothes. I stood there while I attempted to make sense of the scene before me. He had killed himself. My heart seemed to shatter at the sight. Had he done this because of what I said? I prayed so hard that that wasn’t the case. If I looked close enough, I could see his chest rising and falling slightly. My heart fluttered.

He might still have a chance!

I ran over to him and instantly grabbed his wrist to find his pulse. Once I did, I studied the gashes that weren't healing. Blood was trickling down from them still, leaving ugly trails that reminded me of his pain. I forced myself to focus and moved my hand to his throat, finding it within moments. It wasn’t very strong and I was honestly scared.

I picked him up and carried him to the hospital, jumping from roof to roof since it was the quickest way to get there. Shizune looked up from the file in her hands to see who had came in, a mixture of boredom and anger on her face. Papers flew everywhere when she saw the blonde in my arms. A hand flew to her mouth as her eyes bulged slightly with tears forming in her eyes. Then she regained her composure and led me to the nearest empty room as she yelled at the nurses. She called for help and told one of the trainees to go fetch Tsunade. I simply stood by in the corner as they crowded around the Kyuubi vessel. I couldn't help but feel guilty about this. 'No one would care.' That phrase plagued my thoughts. And the look on his lovely face once those words left my mouth broke my heart all over again the more I thought about it.

Heavy footsteps could be heard coming this way from the hall. Obviously the Hokage, probably angry about being dragged away from her sake or her nap. Or both. The door burst open and I was right on the money. Her hair was a mess from just waking up and she held a cup of...something in her left hand while her right held the door open. "What is it now?!" She shouted angrily. Shizune looked up at her with sad eyes. Once the busty woman saw who the patient was and how critical, she froze. One look at his wrist was enough to bring tears to her eyes. But she ignored them and moved to Naruto's side, downing the drink in one go. More medical talk that I didn't even bother trying to understand followed.

I stayed there in the corner until only Tsunade and Shizune were left in the room. "May I ask a favor?" I asked, hesitantly. The Hokage looked at me with melancholy filled eyes and nodded numbly. "Don't tell Sakura. Please. Don't let her know about this." I almost begged. The two shared a look before Shizune nodded.

I wasn’t too sure why I didn’t want the pink haired female to know. Other than the fact that I didn’t want for her to worry too much.

"We'll do out best to keep it from her." The assistant answered.

"But know this, Uchiha. If she finds out, the blame goes entirely to you." Tsunade spoke without looking at me.

"Fair enough." They started to leave. Then Tsunade stopped in the doorway.

"And Sasuke?" She asked. I looked at her, shocked. She had never used my first name before. She turned to look me in the eyes. "Thank you. For saving him." She said before leaving and shutting the door behind her. Once they were gone, I moved to the bedside and sat down. I stayed there until the next morning and I wasn't planning on moving until he woke up.

Shizune came in and asked some questions, wondering why Naruto would do such a thing. I gave her the best answers that I could. She looked at the blonde male and frowned. "We found blood on his boxers. It was too old to be from his wrist. Did he injure himself yesterday?" She asked. I shook my head, saying I didn't know. Her frown deepened. "I need you to leave the room for just a minute." She said, walking out of the door. I followed her and slid past a male as he went into the room. Closing the door behind him, I looked at the Hokage's assistant. "He's going to check him out." She explained.

That minute felt like an eternity as I waited outside Naruto's door. Then, finally, the man came out and led Shizune away. I slid back in and looked at the whiskered male. Some of his color was back and his wounds were healing fast. Kyuubi. Sometimes he was helpful. But my question was; why didn't Kyuubi heal him as soon as he started bleeding?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know. Not a whole lot happened in this chapter. And that is because I wanted to leave it on a mysterious end to help kinda transition into the next chapter.  
> Didn't work as well as the past me thought it did.  
> And holy crap. I had a lot of spelling/grammar mistakes in this chapter. That's partially why it took me a bit longer than usual to get this one up xD


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! It got updated on time! Not early, not late! ON TIME! And it's a short crappy chapter, I know.  
> But I did try to make it longer and whatnot.

I stayed by Naruto's side for a day and a half. I had finally given in to sleep, for I was laying my head on the bed in a rather uncomfortable position. I woke up to the sounds of someone groaning. Looking at the clock, I growled in annoyance. That idiot would wake me up at two in the morning!

Wait. He woke me up... He was AWAKE! I nearly jumped out of my seat once the fact that he was stirring registered in my mind. Composing myself, I silently hit the button that would call the unnaturally busty Hokage. "Sasuke." I heard him say in a raspy, hoarse voice. Looking over to him, I saw him staring at me. His eyes were slightly glazed over still from sleep, and he was stifling a yawn. I just simply nodded. "Was it you? That saved me?" He asked with that same emotionless stare. Another nod from me.

Then suddenly a fist flew at me from seemingly out of nowhere. It was weaker than normal, but it still sent me sprawling to the floor, half from shock and half from the actual impact.

"Dammit Naruto! Sakura just healed my last black eye!" I growled at the blonde. He just simply shrugged, uncaring.

An awkward silence passed between us -we seemed to be having a lot of those lately- as we stared at each other, trying to read the other's thoughts. Then he spoke up again. 

"Why are you here?"

"Because! Why wouldn't I?!" I almost shouted. Another shrug from him made my left eye twitch in anger. Suddenly, Tsunade was slamming the door open, possibly making a hole in the wall behind the object. She had a mixture of emotions on her face, the exact opposite of Naruto. Sadness, anger, hurt, happiness, and confusion. Shizune followed in a moment later with only worry in her eyes. The two both made their way towards the bed.

"Naruto! What are these marks?!" The Hokage demanded, yanking the blanket down and his gown up just enough to show the blonde's thighs. My eyes grew wider. What I saw wasn't what I had expected. Then again, I didn't really expect to look at his thighs. Basically, multiple circles around each of his thighs that were now a faint pink line.

"Cuts. Obviously." I was taken back. He sounded as if nothing was wrong. Like we didn't just found out he was a cutter. Like he didn't almost die only a day ago.

"Why aren't they healed?" Shizune asked professionally. Naruto glared at all of us as he answered.

"Kyuubi finds it disgracing to do any sort of self-harm. So he said he wouldn't heal me if I ever did such a thing. And I did. So they're now healing at normal speed." He said. Then I decided to speak up.

"Naruto. What happened to make you change so drastically?" I asked, my voice soft, hopefully comforting.

"I was out looking for you one day. I'm pretty sure you remember this. When I had finally found you, you nearly killed me. A chidori right by the heart might do that, I hear. Kyuubi healed me quickly after you left and, boy, did I get an earful that month while I was 'recovering'. Anyways, he finally knocked some sense into me. He said to just give up on you.

"After a few weeks of him pestering me, I finally gave in. I stopped looking for you. And one day, I just stopped feeling. Our last battle had just been coincident." He explained.

"But Naruto! You left the village every week to look for him!" Tsunade cried out in confusion. His eyes snapped to her, almost annoyed at her interruption.

"No. I left the village to get out of the village." He said before turning his attention back to me once. "Every single thing Kyuubi has told me about everyone is true. Especially you, Sasuke." He said, studying my face. Then his eyes narrowed dangerously. He knew what question I was going to ask next.

I asked the one question he had managed to escape last time. The one that mattered most to me. "Why did you act?" That confused both Tsunade and her assistant.

"It's easier to act like nothing is wrong than to try to explain something you yourself don't understand. Isn't that right, Sasuke?" He spoke, gaze never wavering throughout the entire conversation. "Now my turn. Why'd you stay here?" He asked.

I debated with myself for what felt like forever. And everyone else was obviously waiting for my answer. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, trying to force myself to say the real reason.

"Because...I love you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to put this one up so soon after the first one because the last one was so short and crappy. So here's the longest chapter so far for your entertainment!  
> This one has a couple of time/scene changes to help move the story along, but it's all in order and whatnot!

_"Because I love you."_

Those four words seemed to make time stop. Naruto's gaze held shock, confusion, then finally anger. Tsunade had a knowing smirk on her face and Shizune looked like she was ready to faint. The man's lips moved but no words came out. His brows furrowed and his eyes turned to slits. Then I noticed he was talking. Still no words, but his lips moved to form sentences. He would stop for a moment and then continue once more.

He was talking to Kyuubi. Not us. "Get out." He spoke, barely audible. I didn't know if he was talking to the biju or us. When his eyes snapped to mine, I shuddered slightly. Raw anger and hatred were held in those eyes. "I said get out!" He growled, pointing to the door.

"Don't be stupid. Nar-" I started before the Hokage grabbed me.

"Uchiha. I think it might be best if you left." She said in a formal tone. I was about to argue when her grip on me tightened. "Go. Tell Kakashi that he's up." I debated for a second before nodding and walking out of the hospital room. I walked down the hall then stopped. He didn't believe me. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn't. Kyuubi. Naruto had been talking to him before his anger really set in. For some reason, the demon was turning the blonde against me. Slowly, a plan was forming in my head.

I would have to convince him that I loved him. But first, I had to be close enough to talk him. By the way Tsunade sounded, I would be forced to stay away until he calmed down. The problem with that was that the idiot would probably stay angry for a while. Instead of going to Kakashi like I was supposed to, I turned to go to the cemetery. If he wasn't there, I didn't know where else he would be.

Upon arriving, I saw him sitting down by his mentor's grave smoking a cigarette. "Troublesome, isn't he, Sasuke?" He asked without even looking towards me. I took a seat beside him.

"You've got that right, Shikamaru." I answered softly.

"Came to ask me for help?" He asked with a smirk. I grunted in reply. "Don't worry. I'll handle it. I'll talk to Tsunade-sama and work something out." He said with a chuckle. I glanced at him. "It is really annoying though. He can't seem to get it through that thick head of his that we all care for him." He said, leaning against Asuma's grave.

We stayed like that for a while, making small talk about whatever the man brought up. I would ask a question or two whenever I thought of something, but for the most part I stayed silent. 

"Goodbye." Shikamaru said as I left. I gave a little wave to him. My mind was preoccupied. How the hell was I going to convince him? I only saw one option: act normal until a better plan came up. Yup, sounded good. Plus, I had the young genius on my side. No doubt he would come up with his own ideas.

With nothing more to do, I made my way to Kakashi’s place to give him the news.

-SasuNaru-

Naruto was still in the hospital but should be released tomorrow. It had been three days since he had woken up, and Tsunade was at loss as to what to do with him. So here I was, sitting on my bed, waiting for Shikamaru to get back. I finally decided to occupy my mind by reading. I was only a few chapters in when the young genius showed up. "Tsunade-sama wishes to see you." He said with a smirk. That smirk meant that things went his way and I got to see Naruto. But first, the Hokage.

"You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?" I asked politely once we arrived. She looked up from the stacks of papers in front of her.

"Ah. Yes. As you already know, Shikamaru and I have been talking about what to do with Naruto. Ultimately the decision will be his, but we needed to make sure you were comfortable with one of the options.” She started, pausing to make sure I was listening. ”Would you mind having Naruto live you for a month or two?" I looked at her confused.

"I don't mind. But why does he need to live with me?" I asked curiously.

"Because of the stunt he pulled, the Elders want him on suicide watch. I agree with them. We can't have him pulling anything else like that."

"But why me?"

"Sasuke... You're his best friend. And it's obvious that you like him, even without your declaration the other day. You have a lot of money, enough to feed yourself and a town. Or, in this case, Naruto. You have a large house so he probably won't be in the way. And Shikamaru thinks you could use the company." She explained. I glanced over to the boy to see him looking out the window. I turned back to the busty woman and nodded in understanding. "Good. Bird! Bring Naruto here please." She addressed to the ANBU who had appeared at the sound of his name. He bowed then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I had taken to sitting in a chair while waiting on Naruto's arrival. Shikamaru and Tsunade were bent over a map, trying to come up with a good plan concerning some intelligent bandits. I paid them no mind. Finally, the door opened and in stepped the blonde. He smiled at Tsunade with that annoyingly fake grin then looked at Shikamaru. They said their greetings to each other then he turned to see me. His smile faltered a little, but he quickly turned away from me. I massaged my temple as I felt an oncoming headache. Tsunade cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Naruto. The Elders and I have decided to put you on suicide watch. Given you're... situation, we're giving you a choice in this matter. You live with Sasuke-"

"Hell no." Naruto interrupted. The woman just continued, ignoring his outburst.

"Or go into solitary confinement." She finished. Naruto's body tensed and the words that escaped his lips were not his own.

"Don't you dare put me inside another cage!" The boy hissed, voice laced with the Kyuubi's own vocals. I looked up, bewildered. Shikamaru just smiled.

"Looks like you're staying with Sasuke then." The young genius said smugly. The blonde's eyes slid to me, eyes into slits. I made a mental note to go get ramen on the way home for him.

-SasuNaru-

With a tiny argument, Naruto caved in. Tsunade then placed a special necklace around him. It looked like a black choker, but you could see writing if you looked close enough. He looked like an angry kitten.

"Bird. Please escort Naruto back into the exam room. Hinata's going to check up on him." Shizune spoke to the silent ANBU in the corner. With a firm grasp, he led Naruto out of the room. "Now, Sasuke. We'll show you how to work the collar. We specified it so only your chakra can deactivate it. You won't need any hand seals or anything like that. Just place your hand on it and flow your chakra into it. You'll hear a click when it's off.

"We suggest that you don't do this unless an absolute emergency. We don't expect Naruto to be in the same room as you all the time, so he'll be allowed to be in at least a few yards away from you. But you must check up on him every hour that he's in the other room. Understand?" Shizune explained firmly.

"I understand. How do I reactivate it if I have to deactivate the thing?" I asked, looking from the Hokage to her assistant. "What if he runs while it's off?" It was Tsunade who spoke this time.

"Flare your chakra if you need to reactivate it. And if he runs, the collar is designed to input an urge for him to find you. And you'll get a sort of compass that will lead you to him. You'll naturally know which direction he is in. Is that all, Uchiha?" I merely nodded in reply. "You may return home. I'll make sure he gets there safely." She promised. I nodded once more and turned to make my leave. I left without another word.

I had a feeling that the next month or so were going to give me plenty of headaches...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just love Shikarmaru so much that I couldn't resist putting him in the story!  
> Also, can't help but point out that we're now a bit past halfway through with this. I've already been through this on FF.net, but it still makes me a little sad!  
> And the rest of the chapters will be longer than the previous ones. Especially the last chapter. Holy shit, dude, I went ham on the last one O.o  
> (Only stating this because I've recently put the chapters side by side and looked at the word counts because I got bored. I'm not sure what got into me with the last chapter, but it was a lot longer than the others.)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to actually do something productive this weekend and thought I should go ahead and post this chapter before I forgot!  
> So now off I go to do some actual work~  
> This starts in Sasuke's PoV then transitions to Naruto's  
>  **Triggers! Descriptions of self-harm!**

The first day he was here, he didn't talk to me. He stayed as far away from me as the collar allowed. He grumbled about things when he thought I couldn't hear and regularly spoke to the demon inside of him. I heard my name every so often and would make an attempt to hear his side of the conversation. But they would cease whatever they were saying shortly after. It annoyed me. I wanted to know what the one who held my heart thought of me. I never found out from those conversations.

The second day was even worse. He had decided to start faking around me once more. He acted chipper and loud and all around annoying like he usually was. "Ne Sasuke! You need some ramen! Let's go get some!" He suggested. I mentally groaned. I had been so worried about having Naruto with me that I had forgotten to stop by and get the blonde’s favorite food.

I scowled at the thought of said noodles. It had no nutrients in it as well as tasted horrible. Why one would want to eat so much so often was a wonder to me. "No." I grunted. I was comfortable; laying on my couch with a book in my heads. I didn’t want to move from my spot just to go get the atrocious food. That shut him up for a moment as he thought.

"I'm living here now! Meaning I have to eat here! How am I supposed to eat if you don't have any good food?" He questioned me. I sighed.

"I have plenty of good food. It's just that all you ever eat is ramen."

"I'll only eat three a day."

"You'll eat all of it."

"I'll eat whatever you make -healthy or not- and eat only three."

"Anything I make?"

"As long as I'm not allergic to it."

"Well.. What are you allergic to?" I questioned. He beamed at me.

"Obviously not ramen." He joked. I narrowed my eyes at him as I shook my head. I moved to grab my keys, making my way to the door. He looked at me confused. "Are you coming or not?" I hissed. He jumped up and ran after me.

-SasuNaru- Naruto's point of view-

It was hard to keep my act up around him at the moment. I was too angry with everybody to even pretend, so I conversed with Kyuubi the entire day. He spoke his high disapproval of the Hokage's decision and expressed his hatred towards Sasuke often. "Why do you hate him?" I wondered aloud once.

"He is an Uchiha, kit. His kind are filthy scum who care only about themselves." He growled.

"Ne, Kyuubi?" I ventured cautiously.

"Hm?"

"Do you think he meant what he said? At the hospital?" I spoke quietly, not wanting the other ninja to hear me.

"I don't know. What'd he say?"

"That... That he loved me..." The biju's laughter resounded in my head. "I'm gonna take that as a no then."

"Why do you sound so disappointed, kit?" He asked. I sounded disappointed? I hadn't noticed until he brought it up.

"I don't know.. I guess I was kinda hoping it was true.." I said, barely audible even to myself.

"Listen kid. He probably just told you that so he could get what he wants. He's done that with many people. Look at Sakura. She'd so anything for that stuck up brat."

"You're right. Sorry for asking."

"You're fine. Even you are entitled to your hopes. Just don't listen to him, though. Ever." He warned.

"I might." I joked. I knew that what he said was most likely true. Sasuke had probably just said that only to butter me up to ask for something. But a small part of me wondered if that was true. What if he did really love me? What if Kyuubi was wrong?

I spent the rest that day wandering around the house, thinking. The next day, however, I was back to my act. I pestered my love with the possibility of venturing outside. I even used ramen as an excuse. At first, I was afraid that he'd just brush me off. But then he grabbed his keys and we left. I spoke whatever came to my mind as we walked, unknowingly letting a few things slip through my mouth. One of those was my doubt that he loved me. He immediately stiffened, stopped, then turned to face me. "Why would you think that I didn't love you?" He asked, face emotionless. I pretended like I didn't hear him, but instead kept talking. The Uchiha roughly grabbed my shoulder then spun me around to face him. I stopped mid-sentence and stared at him with wide eyes. "Shut up for four seconds will you?" He growled. I closed my mouth, unaware that it had been open in the first place. He debated on what to do before pulling me towards him. I completely panicked and I danced out of his reach. He looked at me confused while I watched him curiously. 

"Forget it." He mumbled and continued walking. He seemed discouraged. Hurt, maybe? I wasn’t sure. But I stayed behind him this time, carefully speaking my mind. I wasn't going to let anything else slip today. I had to pay extra attention. But I continuously wondered what it was that he had been trying to do in the back of my mind.

We stopped by the store to pick up a TON of ramen while I acted all excited. On the inside, however, I felt like I was going to throw up at the sight of so much gunk. I swallowed the feeling down and waited patiently while he payed for everything. I almost felt sorry for causing a dent in his wallet, but then the thought faded away as quickly as it came.

Sasuke forced me to carry all ten bags of ramen as we walked home. We were just passing one of the stores when something caught my eye. I stopped to stare at it until the other man called me back to my senses. I ran to catch up to him, careful not to drop any bags. He looked at me curiously. "What were you looking at?" He asked. I just shook my head. 

"Nothing." I responded.

We got back to the place I would now be calling home. I set all ten bags on the kitchen table then left the room. "Where do you think you're going?! You're going to put all of these where they go!" He yelled after me.

"I gotta pee! I'll do it after, believe it!" I called back to him. I could hear him sigh as I closed the bathroom door. Swiftly I pulled my pants down slightly so that I would be able to get to where my collection used to be.

I frowned a bit. My beautiful marks were completely gone now, Shizune having had healed them along with my wrists while I was at the hospital. But that just meant that I had to start all over. Well. Why waste time?

I pulled the kunia out from my little bad, cautious to make no noise. Then I positioned my leg to where the blood would drip into the toilet. I bit my lip as the blade cut into my leg, withholding a sigh of relief. It felt nice to have my skin torn open once more, to feel the blood seeping out of the wound and down my limb to drip slowly into the water below. The drip turned to a little stream the more I drug the weapon around to a full circle, feeling a shiver go down my spine at the sensation. I let my head tip back in what I could only explain as pure euphoria.

I stayed like that for a bit, until my leg started to feel tingly. I then pulled the kunia away, grabbing some toilet paper. I quickly cleaned the weapon off, as well as my leg before throwing it into the toilet. I put my blade away in exchange for the bandages that I've started carrying around with me for situations such as this. I expertly wrapped my leg up before pulling my pants back up and flushing the toilet, getting rid of the evidence. I smiled to myself, an actual smile, as I hid the bandages back into my pouch. I wiped the smile off of my face then took a step forward.

I had to lean on the sink for a moment for support when my leg wouldn't hold my weight. My knee slammed into the cabinet underneath and I knew Sasuke had heard it. It was too loud to have not been the case."Shit." I whispered. I had cut too deep and now I wasn't going to be able to walk back out of here normally. Sasuke banged on the door. "Naruto. What the hell are you doing in there?" He hissed at me through the door. "Shit." I said once more. This wasn't going to end well. I searched my brain for something to say, but I couldn’t think of anything. I felt panic start to sink in as I glanced around the room, looking for anything that could help me.


	9. Chapter 9

Sasuke banged on the door once more after hearing my voice. "It's fine. I just ran into the sink with my leg. I'm going to have a bruise in the morning." I lied, forcing my voice to stay calm and normal. His pounding halted as he thought of buying my lame excuse. Acting like I thought he left, I turned on the faucet and cleaned my hands of any blood, relying heavily on the counter for support as I tried to rid the evidence. The door suddenly flew open to reveal an outraged Sasuke. He looked down at the sink which had water that had dyed red from my hands. His eyes snapped back to mine and he pointed to my pants.

"Drop them. Now." He ordered. My face flushed a bright red as the blood ran to my head.

"You can't just tell me that! Pervert!"

"Drop. Them. Now." He repeated, slower this time. I growled before grabbing my pants. He raised one of his eyebrows at me when I hesitated.

"At least be a gentleman and turn around for a moment. This is embarrassing enough as it is." I said, face as red as a tomato. He rolled his onyx-colored eyes before turning around as asked. I swiftly dropped my article of clothing and looked down at the bandages to see how bad it was. The entire thing was red already. I needed to change it again. I cleared my throat to signal that he could turn around. He took one look at it then stopped.

"Naruto..." He started. I immediately straightened up at the sound of his voice. Then he looked at me with such emotion that I knew, deep down, that he meant what he said at the hospital. It made my chest swell at the thought of it and could feel something warm starting to form. "Why do you do this to yourself?" He asked, honestly curious. Well, there went that warm feeling. I did it because it was a way of punishing myself for all that I had done wrong. I did it because it made all thoughts of my childhood disappear, if only for a few moments. I did it to satisfy my anger towards all those who have done me wrong.

But I didn't know how to explain all of this to Sasuke. So I settled with a shrug of my shoulders.

With an irritated growl, he leaned towards me. Then he placed his lips on top of mine and my legs felt like they wouldn't be able to hold me up anymore. My knees wobbled unsteadily until I backed up into the bathtub. It hit the back of my knees and I collapsed onto the edge. He looked at me confused, hurt, and another emotion I've only seen once before but couldn't quite place. "I'm sorry." He whispered before he left.

-NaruSasu-

It took about five minutes for my heart to slow down to its regular beat once he left. I wasn’t sure what he was doing, but I could hear him shifting around not too far. I assumed that he was just sticking around to make sure that I would be okay.

I still couldn't stand. I was blaming it on the cut, not the weak knees he had caused with his amazing kiss. Another knock sounded on the door. I mentally groaned. What did he want now? "Look. You can't stay in there all day. I have to shower, so get out." He said through the door. I looked down at my numb leg, noticing that I had to change the dressing once again.

"Fine. Give me a second. And if you wait by the door, God help me, I will take even longer." I threatened. I could faintly hear a chuckle then footsteps going back into his room. I removed the gauze before analyzing my wound. It was deep, a few inches deeper than I usually did. Blood continued to flow from it. A bad sign I suppose. I re-wrapped my leg before attempting to stand once more. I almost fell, but I caught onto the sink before I could do so. I hissed in pain as I tried to apply pressure onto the wounded leg, feeling more blood seep through. I gathered my self-control then walked out of the bathroom with my face composed and no limp in my walk. I was a little proud of myself. I hit Sasuke's door when I passed it, telling him I was done in there.

Once back in the room I was staying in, I summoned one of the many smaller frogs. I swiftly wrote a not then handed it to the female. "Go take this to Sakura please." I told her. She left with a small 'yes, sir'. I collapsed onto the bed which held orange blankets just for me. The Uchiha had gotten them for me after about the sixth time I ended up falling asleep here. He had a few of my clothes tucked neatly away in the dresser, articles I had left over. In the corner was a small bookshelf filled with Jiraya's book and some manga that I read frequently. Except for the porn books my godfather wrote. I only read those every once in a while. On the bed was a fairly new orange book with a red swirl on it. On the side was a few symbols, disabling anyone else access to the journal unless they were able to mimic my chakra. I knew it was safe here. Even if Sasuke could copy my chakra, he wouldn't even think of breaking into my personal book. He just wasn't that kind of guy.

I kept it here for multiple reasons. The first one was that my apartment still got broken into and the thieves stole a lot of my shit, even if it was something as silly as a journal. The second was that no one would suspect something personal of mine to be at the Uchiha complex. The third was that I knew Sasuke would protect it with his life if need be. He wouldn't let anyone touch it if he could help it.

I laid my hand on the side with the symbols and pushed my chakra into it. It opened with a 'pop' and I scanned the contents of it. On the very first page it read  **'Hope you like it. I noticed you've been a little down lately and figured you'd like writing it out instead of talking to someone. I use my own diary and it really helps me. I hope it helps. Love, Sakura.'**  There was currently only one entry in it with three words.  **'I am alone.'**  I wrote that when I had first gotten it, hoping it would encourage me to write more then ultimately feel better. That had been months ago, almost a year. Even now, I had nothing more to add. But I still wished it to be protected, for sentiment purposes.

Sasuke knocked on the door. I jumped. I didn't even hear him approaching. "What do you want for dinner?" He asked. I stayed silent. After a moment, he knocked again before opening the door. "Naruto Uzumaki! I asked what you wanted for dinner!" He hissed out at me. I stared at him, dumbfounded. I had no idea. I didn't usually eat dinner. Or breakfast. Or lunch. He understood. I could see the moment that he finally pieced it together. "Dear God. Do you starve yourself too?" He asked, barely over a whisper.

"No." I answered honestly. I didn't starve myself because the thought of food made my stomach clench. My body rejected food. I was never hungry, just acted like I was to appear normal.

"Then how much do you eat?" He narrowed his eyes at me.

"I don't know." I lied.

"Don't lie to me. I know you too well."

"If you know me so well, shouldn't you know how much I eat?" I countered.

"I wanna know if I'm right."

"Why do you want to know?" I asked.

"Dammit! Because I love you! How many times do I have to tell you before you finally believe me?!" He started to yell. I leaned back onto my bed, daring him to come closer. He accepted my challenge and stalked forward slowly. It was like he was afraid of scaring me away. He crawled onto the bed until his face hovered over mine. I tilted my head up slightly. He smirked before leaning closer and placing his wonderfully soft lips onto my own. I could feel his arms shaking for a reason that was beyond my comprehension. He pulled back enough to look into my eyes.

"Great. Now get off me and go make your food." I said with no emotion on my face, purposely ruining the moment. He froze. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it once more. I could see him clench his jaw as he searched my face for something that wasn’t there. Then he pushed himself off of me then walked away, slamming the door shut behind him. I sat up, accessing what just happened.

**"Kit. You're just gonna get hurt again. Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"**  Kyuubi asked.

_'But it was good. I think.. I think he'd take care of me. He wouldn't hurt me on purpose.'_  I thought. Just then Sakura burst into the room and looked at me worriedly. She held the note in her hand. "Good. I need your medical skills. A kunai dug too deep into my leg and it's currently numb." I explained, smiling at her. She motioned for me to expose the wound. "I'm uh.. I'm gonna need your help to stand up." I said, mock sheepishly. She strode forward and grabbed my arm to assist me. I stood up then dropped my pants once more. Her face lit up bright red as she glanced at my bare legs. Her eyes lingered on my boxers for longer than I would've liked. She pulled her gaze away and carefully unwrapped my leg. Blood covered up the rest of my scars, so she wouldn't be able to see them. Her hands started to glow a light green as she placed them over the cut. I hissed in pain once I could feel the wound start to close.

"Sorry." She whispered. I waved it off. "The numbness should go away once your cells have had time to settle and return blood flow back into your leg." She told me. I grunted in understanding. The pain subsided after a bit and she pulled her hands away. "There you go. Do you mind me asking how this happened?" She asked cautiously. I smiled at her.

"Thanks. It was really bothering me. Sasuke and I were training and he dug his kunai in a little too deep. Simple mistake."

"All the way around your thigh?"

"I was trying to do this really cool move I saw this other guy do. I was in the middle of a spin when he cut me." I lied smoothly.

"Why didn't you go to the hospital?"

"We didn't think anything of it until it went numb. Then he figured it would just be easier to bring you here."

"Why didn't Kyuubi heal it?" God damn! She was asking a lot of questions!

"He's been moody and didn't think it was life-threatening to heal it."

"Oh... What's that around your neck?" My hand reached up to see what she was talking about. Oh. The collar. I had forgotten about it. I ran my fingers along the foreign symbols.

"Something Baa-chan got me."

"Didn't think you'd be one to wear something like that." She said, obviously relaxed now.

"Ya. Well. You know Baa-chan. If I don't wear it, she'd probably kill me." I chuckled. She laughed along with me. Sasuke came back in then. He glanced from me to her, then back. He was going to ask her to eat with us, I knew it. I frantically shook my head in disapproval, all but screaming no while her attention was on Sasuke. He narrowed his eyes at me then turned to the pinkette.

"Sakura. Would you care to join us for dinner?" he asked her. Her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Really?"

"If you'd like, I could set up another place for you at the table." Sakura's face glowed with happiness.

"I'd love to join you! But are you sure I won't be intruding?" She asked hesitantly. I flipped my mental switch and grinned.

"Of course not, Sakura-chan! There's nothing to intrude on! It was going to be an awkward dinner anyways." I said honestly. The only conversation would be if the Uchiha started that and odds of that were slim. With Sakura there, the conversation wouldn't be one-sided. She grinned.

"Okay. Then I'll join you guys." She announced.

"Great!" I yelled with false excitement. Did her eyes just...? No, couldn't be. I was imagining things. I had to be. _'Kyuubi?'_  I asked, hoping to contact the bijuu.

**"Yes kit?"**  He answered after a moment.

_'Am I losing my mind?'_  I wondered.

**"Who's to say? You might already have lost it."**  He paused.  **"Why do you ask?"**

_'Because I think I'm seeing things.'_

**"Oh? Like what?"**  He asked.

_'Well, just now.. Sakura. She-she.. I'm not sure. But it looked like...'_  I trailed off. He plunged into my most recent memories.

**"Oh? You mean you just now noticed?"**

_'Huh? Noticed what?'_

**"She loves you, you idiot."**  He chuckled.

"WHAT?!" I shrieked out loud. My teammates turned to look at me, questions in their eyes.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"N-nothing. Come on, let's eat! I'm starving!" I shouted, grabbing their wrists and pulling them into the dining room which was set up for only two. Sasuke had made pork chops, mashed potatoes, rolls, and corn. The set closest to the kitchen had a glass filled with lemonade while the other had plain water in it. The Uchiha broke free of my grip then disappeared into the kitchen. He returned with another plate, glass, and set of silverware. He placed them in the middle then poured some lemonade into the glass. He then sat down in the spot nearest the kitchen, Sakura in the middle, and me at the other end. We filled out plates and they began eating. I simply moved my food around on my plate until it looked like I had ate some. I had became a master at fooling others into thinking I had eaten by adjusting my plate until it looked just right. When they looked, I would force myself to swallow a forkful of the food before continuing to play with it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is filled mostly from dialogue so sorry that the story isn't progressing much during this chapter. This one starts in Sasuke's PoV then switches to Naruto's!

Sakura and Naruto kept a steady stream of conversation during our meal with Naruto lying out of his ass. "Why aren't you doing any jobs lately? I saw that you were on temporary leave when I was filing Tsunade-sama's paperwork." She asked the Kyuubi vessel. He stiffened up for a moment before forcibly relaxing.

"Baa-chan thinks I should take a break and focus more on my training. Says something about how I should give the world a break from my awesomeness or something." He lied with that fake smile.

"I'm positive that is  _not_  what she said." I said, staring down the blonde. He glared back, a low vibrating sound coming from him. Sakura seemed oblivious about it, as always. That thought angered me. Wasn't she supposed to be in love with him? "Sakura?" I turned my attention onto her. She snapped her gaze to meet mine.

"Yes?" She asked, curious.

"Did you get what I asked you to?" I questioned. She continued to stare at me for a moment longer before figuring out what I was asking for. She struggled to find it in her ninja pouch then pulled out a small purple box. She quickly handed it to me. I stood up from my spot and made my way to where Naruto was sitting. I crouched down to his level. He was befuddled, and his true self was showing. I opened the box to reveal a necklace, the same one the blonde had been looking at only hours before. Two foxes were curled in around each other, one with black fur and white eyes, with the other white with black eyes*. Their tails were wrapped around the other in the middle, making it absolutely beautiful. He sat, motionless, waiting. His mouth moved as if he was speaking with no words coming out. I wondered if he was speaking to the demon once more. "Why?" He finally chocked out. I smirked.

"You were staring at it earlier, weren't you? It seemed like you really wanted it, so I sent Sakura to get it, since I couldn't without you knowing and ruining the surprise." I explained. He seemed to understand because his fingers moved up to his collar.

"Are you going to put it on, or just stare at it?" Sakura snapped. Naruto's hand hovered over the accessory. "Dear Lord, just take it already!" She practically shouted. He snapped it out of the box then ran out of the room. I stood up the same time the female did, then stopped. She ran after him, yelling his name. I froze where I was, narrowing my eyes. She had no business going after him! He was mine!

-SasuNaru- Naruto's POV-

Sakura had followed me, I could still hear her footsteps attempting to find me. I cradled the necklace to my chest. Tears I didn’t know I had flowed down my face. Why was I crying? Nothing sad had happened! I glanced down at my new jewelry. It was breathtaking, I would give it that. But looking at it... It made me feel as though there was a huge hole in my chest. The thought that Sasuke Uchiha had gotten this, just for me, made me feel as though that hole was slowly being healed.

**"Maybe this is part of his plan."**  Kyuubi hissed in my mind.

"Plan for what?" I growled back.

**"To butter you up and prepare you for something bad?"**  He suggested.

"Shut up! What if he _does_ love me?! Every thought of that?" I yelled. The Kyuubi was silent for a moment.

**"If he does love you? We'll see about that although I doubt it. But I'm right. I'm _always_  right."** He ended with a chuckle, fading back into his cage. I let out a growl of frustration and punched the wall.

"What if who loves you?" That annoying female voice said from behind me. Just then I noticed that I had missed her steps getting closer in my conversation due to my concentration being focused on that instead. I spun around to face her.

"No one Sakura-chan." I said, flipping my switch and giving her one of my fake smiles.

"Please... Tell me.. Is it Sasuke? Do you love him?" She whimpered out. My smiled fell from my face and I was back to normal, feeling slight angry towards her.

"This is none of your business. Stay out of it." I growled. She looked down to her shoes.

"Do you love him?"

"You don't need to know that."

"I do!" She started yelling, causing me to raise my own voice as well.

"Why do you care so much?!"

"Because I love you, baka!" A sudden silence followed.

"No you don't." I broke it by whispering. It felt wrong to speak louder than that after the silence.

"Wha-? Why do you say that?"

"You don't love me. I'm just someone who could help preoccupy your time. Soon you'll move on to 'love' somebody else. You will give up on my because I don't love you, nor will I ever be with you."

"You won't even give me a chance?" She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"I can't." I turned my head away to look at the hole I had created in the wall.

"Why not?" She demanded.

"Because I love Sasuke!" I confessed while tears welled up in my eyes. I loved him, and he could just be using me for something. I knew it was silly and I knew that Kyuubi was probably right. But I couldn’t help the way that I felt about the Uchiha. Arms suddenly appeared around me. I cringed at the unfamiliar contact.

"Well that's good. Because, as I've told you, I love you too." Another voice said. I jumped and looked up to see the said bastard in front of me, smirking that damn smirk, leaning against the wall. I pushed Sakura’s arms away and quickly wiped my tears. She stepped away until she was out of my line of sight. The Uchiha walked forwards before snatching the necklace out of my hands. He spun me around and hooked it in the back for me. "Three things before you run off again." He whispered in my ear, breath tickling me that caused me to shiver. I gulped. "One, I will never stop chasing you until you at least give me a chance. Two, you are required to wear this at all times. Three, you're going to fix that hole you made in my wall." He said before stepping back, giving me my much-needed space and disappearing. I could feel my face heat up as the blood rushed to my cheeks. I turned my gaze to the hole I created as I noticed that Sakura was gone as well. Then I raced back to my room to get ready for bed just like Sasuke had predicted.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This starts in Naruto's PoV then switches to Sasuke's!

It had been a few days since I had fixed the stupid hole that I had made in Sasuke's wall. It had taken me hours of trying to make it look perfect for the man. I would have it finished, only to have him come and criticize me on how it wasn't even or something. There was always something wrong with what I did. Finally, he decided to just let it go with only a small bump in the wall. Otherwise, it was unnoticeable. The necklace he had given me was still hooked around my neck and fit nicely. Every once in a while, I would reach up and play with the two foxes curled around each other. I had given the thought of Sasuke and I together a lot of thought, making Kyuubi very unhappy. He constantly tried to talk me out of everything I thought of until he eventually gave up.

But all thoughts about Sasuke and Kyuubi were currently pushed to the farthest corner of my mind as I walked through the door in front of me. As I turned to close it, I scanned my surroundings without being noticed. There was a mirror on one of the walls, directly across from a table with food laid out on it. I could tell it was fresh because steam was still coming off of it. I figured that the mirror was one of those one-way things where the people on the other side could see me while I couldn't see them. How unfair. There was a single chair behind the table and I saw a small hidden microphone underneath one of the corners of the chair. I narrowed my eyes at the sight before regaining my old posture and turning back around to face the table and food. I acted like I didn't know that they were watching me and plastered one of the biggest smiles on my face that I could muster. "Oh man! Free food!" I shouted loudly, hopefully enough to hurt their ears, before all but running to the table. I plopped myself down carelessly and started digging in right away. I refused to let the disgust show on my face as I continued to shovel the food down.

My stomach clenched in a way it normally wouldn't, but I forced the feeling aside as I scooped everything edible into my mouth. My throat threatened to close on me, so I hurried even more. Soon, all the food was gone and I threw myself back on the chair in a relaxed matter. "Man, that was great!" I said, fake grin planted onto my face. I heard the faint click as the door unlocked and turned my head to look. "Does this mean I can go?" I asked to no one in particular. Right after, the door was pushed open. There was no one there, so I figured that was a yes. I pushed myself out of the chair and made my way out.

I was too paranoid that I would throw up on anyone to jump across the roofs like I usually would. So I stuck to walking like a normal person, only staying in the alleys so I wouldn't see anyone I knew that would stop to talk to me. I just wasn't in the mood for talking. Having them ask me where I was had been bad enough when I went on a mission, having them ask the same thing while I had been on house arrest? Terrible. I felt the familiar shock of chakra around my neck and was forced to stop, reaching up to grab it and pull the burning metal away from my sensitive skin. I cursed at the Uchiha and spun around in circles until I found him. He had turned the stupid collar I was forced to wear off so that I could go get evaluated. The burning meant that he had turned it back on. I knew from experience that the weird symbols engraved into the thing were currently lit up in red. They would soon fade until they were invisible once more. I clicked my tongue against my teeth at him and continued walking back to his house. Unfortunately, he didn't move. This caused me to be jerked to a stop and the impact on my throat brought me to the ground. It was like I had just gotten clotheslined as I lay on the ground in pain. I snarled at Sasuke in anger. He just gave me that annoying smirk. "I'm not moving until you tell me what you decided." He said. I was confused for a moment until my brain made the mental connection. My choice about dating him or not.

"Can't we fucking talk about this after we get back to the house? I'm really not in the mood." I hissed out at him. He simply raised an eyebrow before he vanished from my sight. I didn't have to look to know that he had appeared beside me. I just raised my hand and felt his wrap around it and pull me up.

"Couldn't tell." He said under his breath. I shot him a look, which he promptly ignored before walking ahead of me. I set out at a slightly slower pace, shoving my hands into my pockets as I followed behind. Clouds were starting to roll in with the promise of rain. They managed to cast a shadow down upon us, almost like an omen, first on Sasuke then me. Then it was gone and Sasuke was bathed once more in sunlight while I was cloaked with darkness. Funny. That's exactly the opposite of what everyone used to think, when he had first left the village in order to train under Orochimaru. Eventually, a small sliver of light traveled from him to my feet. I stopped and looked up at the sky. Then I looked down once more and realized that the light had also stopped but had continued to travel with Sasuke. I tilted my head to the side and took a step forward, now shining the light down on me as well.

-SasuNaru-

Almost as soon as we arrived at the Uchiha complex, my stomach tightened uncomfortably and saliva manifested in my mouth at a ridiculous pace. I bent over quickly before snapping back up and booking it to the bathroom. Since I rarely ate, my body was now rejecting the food I had so gracefully forced down. I didn't have enough time to shut the door, let alone lock it. As soon as my head was over the toilet, all of that food I had just ate was spilling out, giving me only a few seconds in between sessions to regain my breath. My hair was in the way and was doing its best to get vomit all over it. I tried to hold it back with my hands but the piece of shit kept finding ways to bypass me. It usually wasn't this long, so I rarely had to deal with it when this happened. When was the last time I had it cut? I don't know when, but at some point early on, Sasuke had came in and held my hair away from my face.

When I was done spilling my guts all over the place, I let my body slump against half of the sink and half of the tub while Sasuke flushed the toilet. He held his hand out for me and waited. When it was obvious that I wasn't planning on moving anytime soon, he picked me up and placed me in the bathtub. "Careful. I might puke on you too." I whispered, careful to face away from him so he wouldn't smell my breath. He just chuckled. "I think I could handle it. No promises that you wouldn't be doing laundry after that, though." He joked. He turned on the water and softly started to wash my hair. I tried to help, but he just moved my hands out of the way. I ended up just sitting there while he took care of me. Again.

After he bathed me, he picked me up and carried me to my room. He balanced me in his arms while he struggled to open the door.

I just groaned miserably as he struggled to open the door. I would have helped, but all the energy in me was gone, along with all of my insides. Sasuke laid me down gently on the bed then silently left. My stomach still felt weird, so I curled up into a ball, bringing my knees closer to my chest and wrapping my arms around them to help ease the pain my stomach made. My throat burned from the feeling of all that coming up and I could still smell it. I closed my eyes, choosing to ignore all of that and try to sleep. As soon as I started dozing off, however, Sasuke arrived with a glass of water and laid it down on the nightstand beside my bed. I kept my eyes closed and acted like I was asleep so that he wouldn't bother me. Once he left, I opened my eyes and grabbed the water. Sitting up slightly, I quickly drank it, relieving the throbbing of my throat. I put it back down once it was empty and laid back to sleep.

-SasuNaru-Sasuke's POV-

I knew what it was that Tsunade had made Naruto do. As I had to do a weekly report on his condition, I put down everything that I had learned about him. That included him not eating anything, even when around others. The only thing I have really seen him eat was ramen, and that was when we went out to Ichiraku's. I wasn't sure if he then went home and threw it all up, or just left it. What I did know was that he hasn't ate anything since being at my house. The Hokage didn't seem surprised when she read my report and had excused me right after. Kakashi had then told me everything Tsunade was going to be making him do. Biweekly tests to see if he was recovering from everything wrong with him. I resented the thought of them poking and prodding at him, exploring his body while claiming to be helping. I was almost positive that if they did this, it would backfire greatly. I had voiced my opinion to my mentor many times until he promised that he would give the message to the busty blonde woman in control.

With Naruto unusually quiet in his room and the house silent, I decided to read a little. I managed to finish my entire book, which I had started that same day, and clean the house. Although Naruto wasn't the same, he still made the same amount of mess. He left clothes everywhere and cups were scattered around the place, some empty and some liquid still in them. By the time I was done with all of that, darkness had started to fall and my stomach was growling. Naruto was still asleep and I had nothing better to do. So I started making myself food. I didn't bother making more for Naruto, he wouldn't eat it anyways. I made grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. Nothing too big. It wasn't until after I had just started eating that Naruto finally emerged from his slumber. He journeyed into the dining room where I was currently seated and sat across from me. He propped his elbow up on the table and placed his head in his palm. I raised my eyebrow at him before returning my attention back to the food. When I looked back up at him, he was watching me still. Cautiously, I sat up straight and noticed that his eyes didn't move with me. I followed his gaze to notice that he hadn't been watching me, he had been staring at my food. I cleared my throat so he would look at me then raised an eyebrow once more. "If you want my food, you could just ask. I'm not a big enough dick that I would deny you any." I told him, my eyes soft. His cheeks turned red in embarrassment and he turned his head away from me. With a smirk, I pushed my plate towards him, careful not to spill the soup from the bowl resting on it. I stood up from my seat and returned to the kitchen to make another for myself.

When I returned, Naruto had ate almost half of the soup and hadn't touched my sandwich. I looked at him in confusion before it clicked. He hasn't been eating for God knew how long and had forced himself to eat quite a bit of food before throwing it back up. The food he had ate probably caused his body to react normally once more, making him hungry. But he was too worried that, if he ate anything solid, he would end up back in the bathroom with his head over the toilet once more. I snatched up my sandwich from the plate and ate it. I ended up eating the rest of his soup so it wouldn't go to waste (and it was super good, so of course I ate it all) and made Naruto do the dishes. He just nodded and went to it. That worried me a little. Even when he refused to talk to me, he would still argue over cleaning anything when I was able to do it.

I furrowed my brows at him in concern and went to help him. He looked at me in confusion before returning his attention to scrub at the dishes. I walked to stand beside him and grabbed a plate that he had just cleaned. I swiped a rag off of the counter and started to dry it. I kept silent, waiting for Naruto to speak first. We stood in comfortable silence for a minute or two before he cleared his throat. "Ok. You win. I'll give you a chance." He said. I couldn't stop the smirk from forming on my face. I turned to him and swept him into my arms. He let out a yip of surprise as he dropped a plate. I paid no attention to it and kissed him. After a moment, I let go of him and stepped back. His eyes were wide with some emotion that I couldn't read on his face. He nervously shook himself and stepped back. "Uh.. I-I'm just gonna... Go lay down. Or something." He said before walking briskly back to his room. I watched him go, a little hurt. But that was quickly replaced with something I could only call complete happiness. He was going to date me! After weeks of trying to convince him, he finally believes me!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where shit gets real.  
>  **Trigger warnings!:** Suicidal thoughts (kinda) and self-harm!  
>  This starts in Naruto's PoV then switches to Sasuke's once more.

I sat on my bed, staring down at my hands. My lips tingled with some strange feeling. I lifted a finger to touch them before bringing it back down again. Sasuke kissed me. He actually kissed me. It was different than the one that we shared on the bed. It had been careful and experimental. This one was tender and excited. It had surprised me so much that I instinctively retreated. I wasn't sure how I should've behaved in that situation. Should I have stayed and kissed him? What if I hurt his feelings? That thought was quickly removed from my mind as I heard him moving around the house. If he was mad at me or something, he wouldn't be making any noise while he crossed from one room to another. I shook my head to rid myself of the thoughts of Sasuke. My gaze shifted from my hands to my legs, where my orange pants used to cover my scars. My marks had disappeared when Sakura had healed me.

I pulled my pants down to where I could see my canvas. I traced my finger on it and slid it around, like I was cutting myself. It felt odd to not have to desire to do so with an actual blade. This was the first time I've felt content without my music ever since the old Naruto vanished. It was then that I realized something. Sasuke actually made me feel. Just earlier, he had made me feel angry and agitated at him and then happy that he kissed me. My eyes widened at the realization and I shot to my feet, grabbing my pants to pull them back up. Before I knew it, my hand was on the door knob, ready to twist before I stopped. What was I doing?

I hesitated for a minute, debating on what to do next. If I went out there, what would I do? I didn't have a plan. I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. I opened them once again in determination. I would beat my shyness and I would do what I wanted. I opened the door, paused, then took a slow step forward. It took me a while, but I finally made it to the living room, where Sasuke was reading another of his books. At the sound of me entering the room, he looked up and flashed a smile at me. My cheeks turned red and I looked away. I sluggishly made my way towards him until I was right in front of him. Then I gave him a quick little kiss. I pulled back, nibbling on my lip a little. He just smiled at me in understanding. “Hello to you too.” He chuckled. I moved to sit down beside him on the couch and he moved over to make room for me. Once I was seated, he held his arm open with a raised eyebrow. I hesitated again before settling against him, his arm wrapped around me protectively. I let my eyes drift close and enjoyed the warmth that was him.

-SasuNaru-

It's been two weeks since I had agreed to go out with Sasuke. I was slowly getting over all of my issues, thanks to the aid of pills Tsunade gave me. Antidepressants. They lessened the feeling of emptiness inside of me, but they didn't really make me happy. The only time I was truly happy was when I was with Sasuke. But as soon as he was gone, the emptiness came back at full force. When I had finally gotten the courage to tell Sasuke, he wouldn't leave me for longer than absolutely needed. We seemed to only be separated at night, when we were in our own rooms. That was when I had the most trouble fighting the urges to mark myself with the kunais.

It was now the fifth night. I had spent a long and relatively happy day with Sasuke, but now he was in his own room. I had taken my pills but I was still feeling hollow. I stared at the blade that was sitting on my table. Kyuubi growled in my head.  **"Do you really think he cares about you?"**  I rolled my eyes. We had been over this many many times. He had learned to not say anything while I was with Sasuke, so he usually attacked while I was alone.

"Yes, Kyuubi."

**"I don't buy it."**  
"I know you don't." I said, annoyed. I still didn't know why he was so against Sasuke liking me.

**"He doesn't like you. You should just do him a favor and get rid of yourself."**  He hissing, sounding like it was in my ear. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  **"He thinks the same way all those other villagers do. He doesn't appreciate you. He doesn't care about you. He just wants you gone."**  Tears came to my eyes. That wasn't true. I knew it wasn't. But it still hurt that Kyuubi was saying these things. With a final push, I threw him out of my mind. But his words still lingered in the back of my head.

My eyes traveled to the kunai once more. My hand seemed to lift itself out of my lap to grab ahold of the hilt. I picked up silently and brushed it against my skin. Where it touched, it left a trail of invisible fire along my thigh. I could just imagine it splitting the skin to make a crimson line trickle down the sides. Before I could think of what I was doing, I put pressure on it. With a sudden tingle, blood started to flow out. My eyes went wide as I watched. I hadn't meant to go so deep. But I felt calm. Like I had just conquered all of my demons. I closed my eyes in bliss and slowly dragged it from one side to another. I could feel the blood pouring out of the new cut. I could feel it start to pool on the sheets beneath me. What started as a drop had now turned into a small puddle that was rapidly growing as I made more on the canvas that was my thigh. Soon, I had lost myself completely in the euphoria of my pain. Without realizing it, I made more and more cuts on my legs, slowly descending further into my flesh.

Then I opened my eyes and the world started to spin. Where my bookcase once was now held my dresser. The ceiling became the floor and the colors were starting to blend together. I blinked multiple times, trying to understand what was going on. It seemed like a light went off in the back of my head. I was bleeding. A lot. This was what happened when you lost too much blood. For some reason, I was beginning to feel panicked. I didn't want it to end yet. I was just starting to enjoy my life. It couldn't end with an accident. If I was going to die, it was going to be because I want to. Eventually, everything started to blend together into a mass of color and rough edges. A black dot started to form in the middle and engulfed the colors before rushing towards me. My mind had lost track of what was going on long ago, but my body collapsed onto the bed when the dot reached me.

-SasuNaru-Sasuke's POV-

I knocked gently on Naruto's door. It was forty minutes past noon and the idiot was usually up. He wouldn't stay up, but he would wake up around noon and go to the bathroom only to end up crashing on the couch. Today, however, he had yet to even make a noise. After a moment of waiting, I knocked again harder. Still nothing. I slowly turned the knob and slid the door open before peeking my head. Then I saw him on his bed, blood everywhere. Time seemed to stop as I studied his torso, seeing if he was breathing. His chest was barely moving. My body moved on its own, throwing the door to the side as if it was nothing. I rushed to his side and picked him up. Where I touched his skin, it cause goosebumps. He was so cold. There would be no time to get Tsunade over here, so I would have to take him to the hospital.

I swiftly ran out of the house before putting all of my weight onto one foot. Then I launched myself upwards, onto the roof of the building and made my way to the hospital. On the way, Kakashi spotted me and ran alongside me. "What's going on?" He asked as he assessed Naruto's bloody legs.

"I need you to go get the Hokage and tell her to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Tell her it's Naruto."

"Got it." He said before branching off to go his own way. I spoke when he was safely out of earshot.

"God dammit, Naruto! If you die today, I will never forgive you! Do you hear me?!" I all but shouted at the Kyuubi vessel. I felt something hit my cheek and looked up at the sky. It was clear. Not even a single cloud in the sky. So what had fell on me? It slowly slid down my face until it reached my lips. I cautiously tasted it and realized it was salty. Was I crying? Before I could ponder over it, I had reached my destination. I stormed through the doors and caught the gaze of the woman behind the desk. Sakura. Her eyes widened then she calmed herself and went to work. She led me through the halls with practiced motions and everybody else seemed to move out of the way.

"What's going on with him, Sasuke?" She asked sadly.

"He's been dealing with some stuff." I answered.

"What kind of stuff?"

"Jesus, Sakura! Can't we just get him some help?!" I snapped at her. She didn't reply. Instead, she practically kicked a door in and walked into the room.

"Lay him on the bed while I get some of this stuff ready. Can we get some help in here?!" She yelled the last part as I carefully set him on the bed. A few other medical ninjas ran in and immediately started to help set everything up. Then Tsunade busted in with Shizune behind her.

"What the fuck is going on in here, Sasuke?" She shouted. The others in the room didn't seem to mind her loudness, but it certainly bothered me. I looked her directly in the eye and spoke.

"We went to bed last night. When I woke up, I waiting for a while until I noticed that Naruto wasn't waking up around the usual time. When I went to go check up on him.. I found him like this. I'm not sure how long he was like this." I said the last part softly.

"I thought our deal was that you check up on him every few hours." She growled. I opened my mouth to say something. She spoke before anything left my lips. "If you would've kept your end of the deal, we wouldn't be here right now! He would be at your house, safe and sound!" She yelled. That got Sakura's attention.

"What deal?" She asked. We both ignored her.

"He was doing very well. I don't know what happened last night. He seemed just fine when we went to bed." I hissed back at her.

"Well obviously something was wrong!"

"I didn't know that! You try taking care of this idiot! It's not the easiest thing to do!" I raised my voice, startling the other ninjas. She stayed silent and glared at me. "I don't care how angry you are with me. Just save him." I said, voice fading. She studied me with sorrow and sympathy in her eyes that I didn’t want before turning to the blonde and hovering her hands over his legs. A green glow started to form around her hands and she closed her eyes.

"Wipe the blood off. Let me see what I'm working with." She ordered. Shizune quickly did as she was told. Once it was mostly gone, everyone gasped. Cuts, all round both of his thighs. Almost down to his knees. Line after line after line. Tsunade took a shaky breath. "Shizune, Sakura, anyone else who can help, get over here and let's heal him." She whispered. But it was still loud enough for everyone to hear. "Sasuke. We're going to need you to go wait somewhere else. We need as much room as possible." She told me. I bit back words that would probably anger the busty woman and turned to leave the room. I quietly shut the door behind me before sliding to the floor. I put my head in my hands and closed my eyes.

-SasuNaru-

I don't know when, but I had fallen asleep while the ninjas worked on my boyfriend. I was woken up by the door opening and a soft hand on my shoulder. "Sasuke? You can go in there and be by him." A female voice said. I looked up and saw it was my ex-teammate. She gasped when she saw me and her eyes softened. "Were you crying?" She asked tentatively. I looked away sharply.

"Of course not." I hissed weakly, voice thick with tears still.

"That's weird. Because your eyes are red. Like you've been crying." She said, pulling me up. I just allowed her to do it and tensed up when she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. "Oh loosen up. It's just a hug." She joked. I groaned and she let go. She motioned into the room with her head with a smile. "Go in there with him." She said, patting me on the shoulder with sympathy. I nodded at her and moved to go through the door. When I was in, everybody else started to dissipate now that the worst was over. All but Tsunade left. I turned to her with one eyebrow raised.

"So. How bad is it?" I asked cautiously.

"We managed to heal the wounds and close them. But he lost a lot of blood while you were sleeping." She said. I closed my eyes in agony. So he could've died just because I was sleeping?! I forced the lump that was forming in my throat down before reopening my eyes to look at her. "He should be fine after a day or two. We just gotta pump blood into him and keep him hydrated. It will be the same as last time." She continued. "Seems like you're his savior." She said with a smile. I just shook my head and looked down at my blonde, ignoring her. "I’ll leave you be now." She said.

I looked at the blonde with sadness in my eyes and bent down to kiss him. My lips lingered on his and something wet splashed onto his cheek and onto our lips. I pulled away in surprise. I reached up and touched just below my eye to feel that it was wet. I blinked rapidly as more fell.

And just like last time, I sat down in the chair beside the bed and waited for Naruto to wake up. I put my head down on the bed and closed my eyes as sobs racked my body. Tears slid down my cheeks as I silently cried. I stayed like that and cried until I couldn't anymore. And then I fell asleep. Next thing I knew, I woke up to the machines buzzing and making noises. Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura rushed in and started moving around, doing things that I didn't understand. "Sasuke. We need you out of here. Now. We'll do what we can, but we need you out." She ordered. I stood up, confused.

"What's going on?" I asked. When no one answered me, I looked at Sakura. "Sakura?" I asked.

"We're losing him. Please, Sasuke. Just get out." She said, tears falling from her own eyes. When I looked at Tsunade and Shizune, I could see that they looked focused, but closed off. They didn't have hope left. My heart seemed to break as I was pushed out of the room by Shizune. She shut the door in my face. I stood there in shock before collapsing onto the floor for a second time that day. Forgetting all about my pride, I cried again and ignored all those that walked past and stared at me. I could hear them talking and trying to fix whatever was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry :)  
> One last chapter, guys!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to pay attention to the breaks! The PoV switches multiple times between Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura!  
>  **Triggers!** Character death and suicidal thoughts/actions!

I had been in this room for almost a week. Naruto still hadn't woken up yet, but he was still going strong. "Naruto. Please just wake the fuck up." I begged him. I hadn't left the room for more than an hour and my back was starting to hurt from the stupid chair. I could hear footsteps coming towards the room and I quickly straightened up, wiping at my eyes. I could feel how raw my cheeks were becoming from me constantly brushing the tears away. But I ignored the pain and focused on looking composed. A soft knock came from the door. I ignored it and sat patiently as someone pushed it open. I turned my head slightly to see who it was out of the corner of my eye. "Hey, Sasuke. I brought the stuff you asked from your house." Sakura said, holding a bag out to me.

"Thanks." I said. I kept my voice low, almost like Naruto was only sleeping and not in a coma. I took the bag from her hands and reached into it. I pulled out a pillow and put it behind me, making the chair ten times more comfortable already.

"I'll stay and watch over him. Go take a shower." She said as she put a hand on my shoulder. I nodded and grabbed the bag.

"I won't be long. Just, you know, make sure nothing happens to him." I said and stood up. She just laughed.

"Of course." She said, a soft smile on her face. We went over this everyday. Since I refused to leave the hospital, Sakura had taken to going to my house and grabbing clothes so I could shower and change. The bathroom now looked lived in, with my personal belongings in there.

As I looked at her, I could tell that I wasn't the only one suffering from his coma. She had bags under her eyes as well and her eyes seemed to be red and puffy almost constantly recently.

With that, I walked past her and into the bathroom. I turned on the water and stripped off my clothes before stepping in. The water flowed over me and felt amazing on my skin. I knew what Naruto was talking about now. About not being able to feel anything. Like he was.. Empty. I felt like that almost. But I thought I was more numb than anything. I could feel the water ricocheting off of my body and slide and drip everywhere else. I was too lost in my own thoughts that I didn't hear anyone else was in the room until they spoke.

"Is he in there?" A familiar voice asked.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. He won't be too long." Sakura told the Hokage. I decided that was a hint that I should start to hurry. I grabbed the shampoo and started to work on my hair, repeatedly telling myself to stop slacking around. That I shouldn't keep Tsunade waiting. So I rushed through my shower routine and stepped out to dry myself off with one of the towels provided. Once I felt that I got enough water off of me, I put on the clothes that I had Sakura fetch for me before stepping out.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Sakura. Give us a few minutes. Go check up on the rest on the Unit." The blonde woman ordered. The younger female quickly bowed and left the room in a hurry. "Sasuke. I know that this is a bad time for you, but we need you out of the room for a day or two." She said. My brows furrowed and I pursed my lips.

"I'm not leaving until Naruto wakes up."

"Uchiha, this is not up for discussion. I need you. I can't send anyone else without fear that they wouldn't return."

"Tell me the mission and I'll think about it."

"You're going. It doesn't matter on if you think about it or not."

"Tell me the mission." I repeated with my voice lower than before. Dangerous.

"I have reason to believe that we have traitors in the village. People plotting to get rid of you."

"So you're sending me right into the storm?"

"Have a little faith in me, brat. You're going on an ANBU mission with them. You don't really know them, but they know a whole lot about you. If they think that you trust them and don't know what's coming, Shikamaru thinks that they'll try to attack while out on a mission and claim it a rouge or something. So you're going to go in fully prepared, but won't let them know that. If they attack you.. Just survive. If nothing happens, you come home safe and sound. I'd appreciate it if you brought them back alive as well. If Shikamaru and I are right, then they need to be punished. Bring them alive once they've proven their treason and I will take care of them." She explained. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and just looked at her. "Like I said Uchiha. You are going. Like it or not. It's entirely up to you if you survive or not. Meet me at my office in a few to meet the crew." She said before turning on her heels and walking out of the door.

Before I could react, the door opened again to reveal Sakura. "Don't piss her off, Sasuke. She's just trying to protect the village. And you."

"I'm not leaving until Naruto wakes up." I said stubbornly.

"Sasuke. There's a chance that he might never wake up. You know that right?" She asked softly. I turned my head to look at Naruto and stood silent for a moment.

"Yeah... I know."

"He's been in his coma for almost a week. Chances are that he'll stay that way until you get back."

"I can't leave. What if something happens while I'm gone?" I asked her as my shoulders dropped miserably. I could hear her sigh sadly and the sound of her moving closer. She put one arm around me as a hug.

"Well. Then I guess you better hurry and get back to him before that happens." I gave her a weak smile and let out a small chuckle.

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I am." She joked, bumping her hip into mine. I just shook my head and moved away from her.

"Look after him while I'm gone." I told her. She gave me a salute and a smile.

"You know I will." And with that, I turned to go to my house and gather my gear. As I shut the door behind me, I let out a deep breath.

"You better still be there when I come back, dobe." I ordered the blonde whiskered man in a whisper.

-SasuNaru-Naruto's POV-

I could hear them talking. First Tsunade, then Sakura. I tried my hardest to move my eyelids or my fingers. I tried everything. But I couldn't muster the willpower to do much. I felt mentally drained and I could feel Kyuubi stirring anxiously in the farthest corner of my mind. I was getting tired of his chatter, so I pushed him as far from me as I could in my state. **"The time's almost here."** I could hear him whisper to me. I shook my head.

"The time for what?!" I shouted back at him. For the past few days, he's been talking to himself about 'the time' arriving. The longer we stayed here, the more jittery he got. It was starting to weird me out a little.

I could hear how quiet it was and it was almost like it was pushing in on me. It was then that I realized it was because the conversation on the outside had ceased and someone had left the room. If it hadn't been so quiet, I wouldn't have heard Sasuke from the other side of the door. I felt a smile pull at my lips. "I'll be waiting." I promised him. Even though I knew he couldn't hear me. I had a peaceful moment of silence and darkness until Kyuubi ruined it. **"Almost. I can feel it. It's about to happen."**

Now I was starting to get angry. "Will you please just shut up?!" I yelled at him from across my mind. Almost as if to taunt me, he got louder. And louder. I turned to his general direction and shouted as loudly as I could. "Shut up!" Along with my words, I could feel my actual lips moving to say the exact same thing. But the words didn’t come out like they were supposed to. All that sounded was a squeak and an awful noise that I couldn’t describe even if I tried as I tried to use my throat. Then I realized I was back. I was awake and able to move once more. I swiftly opened my eyes to take in my surroundings to see that Sakura was still here with me. Her eyes were wide and her lips formed to create an 'o' shape.

"You. You're awake!" She shouted. Then it seemed that her ninja duties took over. She all but leaped to the button that called for Tsunade to push it. I waited awkwardly as she tried to form words.

"Na-Naruto? What are-" She started to say but was interrupted by the door practically getting kicked open. The busty blonde was in the front, followed by a body that I could recognize anywhere. It took me a while to click the pieces together, but I knew who it was instantly. Sasuke. He was in his ANBU gear and his mask was covering his face. They were barely through the door when the Hokage started speaking.

"Please tell me he's.." She trailed off as she looked at me. A smile broke out on her face as she rushed over to me to wrap her arms around me. I didn't look at her though. I was focused on Sasuke. I couldn't see anything except for his eyes, but that was enough for me. I could see a range of emotions in them that I wished I felt. Happiness, sadness, wonder, and possibly guilt. Tsunade cleared her throat and stepped away from me. She looked back towards my boyfriend before putting a hand on Sakura to lead her out of the room.

As soon as they were out, it seemed like Sasuke was an entirely different person. He ripped the mask off and rushed towards me. His lips crashed onto mine. I could feel something wet on my cheeks. He pulled his mouth away but let his forehead rest on mine. "You fucker." He whispered softly. I could feel a sad smile tug at my lips. His eyes were red and a little puffy, his cheeks dry and practically raw. He looked exhausted and very pale.

"Sorry. This was unintended." I said, just as quietly. He just shook his head and kissed me once more. Then he sighed.

"I'm going on a mission. We were fixing to get debriefed when you woke up." He told me. I could feel my face turn sour.

"A mission? Why? How long are you going to be gone?" I asked him curiously. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not too sure. Hokage-sama wants me to go with these two who she thinks are traitors. All I have to do is see if they want me dead or not. Then I can come home." He told me. I could tell that he wasn't too thrilled about the mission himself, but something felt uneasy inside of me. Kyuubi was stirring in the back of my mind and my stomach seemed to churn.

"You just come back, okay?" I said with a kiss to his lips. He smiled.

"You just stay here. Got it, dobe?" He pulled away and gave me another smile before putting his mask on once more. "I shouldn't be gone for more than a few days. I'll be back to see you soon." He turned to leave and opened the door.

"Sasuke!" I blurted. I was going to tell him about how I felt something was wrong. But when he turned to look at me, I chickened out. Instead, I gave him a soft smile. "I love you, teme." I could see the happiness and love in his eyes.

"I love you too, Naruto." Then he was gone.

-SasuNaru-

I felt terrible. My health seemed to have made a turn for the worse. I was doing just fine yesterday when Sasuke left, but now I felt weak. I didn't have any strength and had to have help doing the simplest things. Sakura had to assist me in getting dressed and going to the bathroom. I hated it. I hated feeling like I couldn't do anything. Tsunade didn't seem to know what was going on, but she was trying her hardest to fix me. "There could be some sort of parasite in you, but that is highly unlikely. We'll check and make sure though in a few hours." The Hokage told me earlier this morning. I didn't care. I just wanted this all to end.

-SasuNaru-Sasuke's POV-

Everything was going fine. The only thing that seemed wrong was their constant arguing. We've been traveling for only God knows how long. "Can we please just stop to rest for a few minutes?" One of them asked. I had no clue as to who these idiots were, only that they were both men and about my age.

"We have a mission to do! We have to get there as soon as possible!" The other yelled. I inwardly groaned.

"He's right. We should rest for a minute. Who knows how close this place is. We don't want to be caught tired." I intervened before either could say anything more. They both looked at me weird before continuing on with their conversation. So much for my opinion. It was like I didn't even exist today. I rolled my eyes at their antics and turned my attention from them to the trees. Night had come and gone without so much as a moment to sit. It wasn't noon yet, I could tell that much, but still. My feet were starting to hurt and I could feel a headache forming from their voices. Then I realized that they had shut up. I swung my head around to see what they were doing now. But they were gone.

I heard a twig snap somewhere to my left and quickly grabbed one of my kunais. I pivoted to look around, activating my Sharingan. One came at me from above, and I stepped back. The man fell to the ground, landing on his feet, and came at me swinging. I easily dodged his attacks and was about to retaliate when I heard the ground moving. I jumped into the trees to see where I had been standing a moment ago was completely gone. It seemed to collapse in on itself. I gave a soft sigh and looked around for the other idiot. He was in the process of making some more hand signs. I moved my left hand to rest at my side and focused my chakra. It had taken some time, but I had completely mastered Kakashi's original technique. A sound that resembled that of birds chirping rapidly started. If I looked down at my hand, I would see lightning shooting out of it.

I moved as fast as I could. One moment I was on the branch, and the next I was back on solid ground with my hand through the man's chest. Lightning flickered on the other side of his body and I felt a sharp pain in my lower back. I ripped my hand out and touched my back. A blade was wedged in there. I pulled it out painfully and turned my red eyes towards the one who threw it. He was making hand signs for some sort of fire jutsu. I was faster. I sucked in as much air as I could before blowing it out towards him. Fire came flying out of my mouth and towards him, lighting everything it could on the way.

-SasuNaru-Naruto's POV-

Tsunade put me under some sort of gas. I wasn't entirely aware of what was going on, but I got the most of it. They weren't doing a whole lot other than checking my insides for a parasite. It was an obtrusive procedure, but necessary according to them. I had a feeling that there was nothing inside of me except for the demon fox. But they insisted. So I let them probe me.

I was correct. There was nothing inside of me except for my demons. The three kunoiches were worried though. Since the possibility of the parasite was out of the question, they didn't know what else could be wrong with me. Kyuubi had been very quiet since I woke up, something I was starting to get suspicious of. He wasn't usually this silent unless I had really pissed him off. But he didn't seem angry with me. He seemed... Content. So when the females finally left the room, I retreated into the back of my mind until I was met with the gigantic cage that held the fox. I crossed my arms stubbornly. I felt much stronger in here than in the real world.

"What exactly are you doing in here?" I asked him, eyes narrowing with suspicion. He lifted his head up and gave me a wicked smile.

**"I have no idea what you're talking about."** He answered me. I clicked my tongue in annoyance.

"Bullshit. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Now answer the question." I demanded. He looked at me, analyzing me.

**"I'm just preparing for my departure."** He answered. The way he said it made it seem true, but I was still missing important pieces.

"Departure? Where do you think you're going?" I asked. He just gave me a wicked smile and chuckled.

**"We are leaving this world. You're finally dying, and I'll finally be free again!"** He exclaimed. That was when everything seemed to click.

"You've been doing this? You've been destroying my body?! Why?!" I hissed out at him. A paw reached out through the bars of his cage and motioned me closer. Without hesitation, I did so. I had nothing to fear with him so powerless. I had the control, not the demon.

**"Why?! I've been stuck in your pathetic body for 18 years! I am trapped in here, and only get to stretch my limbs every few years! You try living this life! It's HELL!"** His voice grew louder and louder. I hadn't realized it, but his paw had been inching closer to me. Then it wrapped around me tightly. I let out a gasp in surprise and tried to squirm free.

The more I tried to break free, the tighter it seemed to get. His face came into view, a smile clear on his face. My breathing hitched. **"You're mine now, brat. It's about time we leave. Making the Uchiha suffer will add as a bonus."** He purred. My eyes widened and his grip seemed to become tighter. A feeling I hadn't felt in a very long time came at me full force. Fear. A scream escaped my lips and I could hear voices from outside of my head.

-SasuNaru-Sasuke's POV-

My breathing was uneven and my body was weak. I hadn't expected twenty more to have popped out. My back was to the trunk of the tree and I tried to listen to any clues as to where the others were. A twig snapped quite a ways away. They seemed to be retreating.

Just as I was started to relax, a flash come from the right and I turned to look. Before I could move, a fireball came flying towards me.

-SasuNaru-Naruto's POV-

I couldn't feel anything except for the immense pain on my insides. It felt as though they were being squeezed tighter and tighter. It hurt worse than anything I've ever felt before. I was aware of the three top kunoiches trying to get me to snap out of my trance-like state and to respond, but the pain was keeping me locked inside of my head, trapped with the Kyuubi gripping me as tight as he wished. He was cruel. He would sometimes let go briefly and give me a slimmer of hope that he was stopping only to put more pressure than before.

A warm feeling started in my stomach and I was scared that he finally popped something. But it seemed as though it was being put back in the right place. Kuruma didn't seem happy about it, so I figured it was one of the ladies.

-SasuNaru-Sasuke's POV-

My chest hurt with the pain of the burns left by the fireball. They had managed to scorch my bare skin, but the rest of me felt fine. I could see scratches over my body, but the adrenaline was keeping me from feeling them. My eyes scanned the surrounding area before my body relaxed. They were all dead. The battle hadn't been very long, but it had felt like it had lasted forever.

I allowed myself a moment of rest before my mind started up again. I had to get back to Naruto.

-SasuNaru-Sakura's POV-

We didn't know what was going on with him. I had thought that he had fallen asleep, until Shizune heard the scream he had made. He was unresponsive to everything we did, but I knew he was still with us. The machine against the wall confirmed it. Tsunade's hands glowed a green light and she placed them over anywhere she could think of that may be affected. First, his heart. But nothing was happening, so she moved them to his head. Nothing. Stomach. Something. Her face turned from anxious to concerned. She glanced up at us with a confused look on her face. "His insides are out of place." Was all she said.

Shizune immediately placed her hands beside the Hokage's and started trying to heal him as well. Naruto's breathing slowed down to a more peaceful state, but something still wasn't right.

-SasuNaru-Naruto's POV-

I could breathe. I felt like a huge pressure had been lifted off of me, although I knew that Kyuubi's grip was just as tight as ever. But now that the immense pain was gone, I put my hands over his and started to push desperately. But I was weak compared to Kyuubi. My hands were nothing more than a slight pressure on his knuckles. He just laughed at me.  
 **"I've told you how it's going to end. You might as well just accept it."** He chuckled.

"I thought you'd have learned by now. I don't give up." I answered with another push. By now, I was able to hear the frantic voices of the girls clearly. But I didn't bother trying to listen. Nothing of what they were saying made much sense to me anyways. Kuruma's mouth turned into a snarl and he squeezed me harder. I let out a gasp of surprise and felt myself struggling to breathe. I was acting without thinking and my mind went completely blank.

-SasuNaru-Sasuke's POV-

As I approached the Village, I could feel the tension building. Something wasn't right. I could feel it. Despite my exhaustion from the battle I had just endured, I forced my muscles to go as fast as possible. I had to get to Naruto before something dire happened. I _had_ to be there! My feet pounded into the ground and I concentrated more chakra towards my feet. They glowed a soft blue and propelled me forward much faster than before.

After minutes, I had traversed much farther than with the traitors who attempted to kill me. I could see the village gates and I positioned my mask over my face properly. The men at the gate didn't even look at me. They knew who I was by now. I climbed onto the rooftop of the nearest building and used it as my road to the hospital.

-SasuNaru-Naruto's POV-

Kyuubi's grip continued to tighten as I struggled more and more. I had stopped thinking and was acting only by instincts. I scratched and punched and kicked and did all I could to try to escape his grasp.

Outside of my mind, I could hear the door opening and shutting, and a familiar voice calling out my name. But I felt as though he's not really talking to me. More like he's questioning the girls around me, wanting to know what is going on. Hands on me, rough and too big for a female. It gave me a surge of willpower and I took a chunk of Kuruma's hand into my mouth and bit down. He let out a noise the sounded a lot like a whimper and bubbles started to form where my mouth met with his skin. He dropped me like a hot potato and I could feel my body jerk in surprise. I landed on my feet. But something felt wrong. I couldn't tell what exactly, with the adrenaline pumping through my veins. But I knew something wasn't right. I quickly moved away from him. I understood very well that he had no intention of me escaping this Hell.

That was when I noticed that I wasn't walking like I should. I looked down and saw that my foot was bent at an angle that it was never meant to be in. I frowned at myself. Of course something like this would happen. It was just my luck!

-SasuNaru-Sakura's POV-

We were so busy on trying to control his breathing and his heart rate, that we barely noticed that something changed. We were all concentrated on Naruto's health that Shizune and I jumped when the door barged open. I turned my eyes to the intruder and my heart broke when I saw Sasuke's eyes behind his mask. They were wide with concern, filled with fear, and tired. Oh so tired. "Naruto?" He asked us. I just gave him a solemn look. I couldn't possibly tell him what was wrong with his boyfriend, not when I didn't know the answer. "Naruto? Naruto!" He started saying over and over, louder and louder. Before we could stop him, he was hovering over his boyfriend, hands on Naruto's shoulders.

He started shaking softly, slowly getting more frantic. I put my hand on his shoulder and pulled him back. "We need room to work, Sasuke." I whispered. The man practically froze and jerked himself backwards to give us space. "Thank you." I told him sadly. I just so happened to look down at his feet and noticed that the left was bent. I pulled the covers down past it and gasped. It wasn't like that earlier!

"Tsunade!" I called. She quickly moved to where she could see what I was looking at and froze.

"What the hell is going on?" She hissed. She moved back to his torso and continued healing what I thought might be his kidney. I straightened his foot and started healing the bones.

-SasuNaru- Naruto's POV-

My stomach felt warm and my foot was starting to feel funny. I looked down and noticed that it was now straight. What the fuck was going on? I scratched my head confused before being hit by something very strong and large. I smashed into the wall and felt the wind being forced out of my lungs.

Kyuubi's hand came crashing down on me and I felt my bones breaking. I let out a yell of pain because it really fucking hurt. I lay on the ground of my mind, my limbs not cooperating with what I was telling them. I whimpered in pain and watched as Kyuubi smiled like a maniac. His figure loomed over me and one of his massive claws hovered over my chest. I wished he would just get it over with. He was going to kill me, and I hated having to wait for it. My eyes flashed red in anger and I heard gasps coming from all around me but the beast's mouth never moved.

-SasuNaru- Sasuke's POV-

I watched as they operated on the love of my life. His eyes were wide open and his body kept twisting without anyone touching him. I felt as though I knew what was happening, but my mind was going much slower than I needed it to. After a minute, I had stopped watching what they were doing and simply watched his face. Perhaps I could find something wrong there. Just as I was about to activate my sharingan, his eyes went red and looked just like Kyuubi's. With a lump in my throat, my own eyes went red and I was in his mind.

Just in time to see Naruto on the ground with the demon's hand landing on him. I could hear and almost _feel_ the bones breaking. Naruto's eyes flicked to mine as he struggled to breathe. I could feel liquid falling down onto my cheeks. "I love you. I love you. I love you." I said over and over again, making sure that he knew how much I really loved him.

"I... Know.. Love you... Too... Teme." He answered me, his voice getting weaker the more he talked. Then I was kicked out of his mind and the machines started going crazy.

I sat down in the chair that I had grown tired of and cried. I didn't bother hiding it, for the mask was on my face. I let my head fall forward until my chin rested on my chest. My hands brought themselves up to grip my hair and I cried like that for a long time.

I didn't pay attention to anything as I cried. All I know is that, when I looked up, everyone was gone except for Naruto. I silently thanked the girls, who knew that I would need a minute with him. Even if he was gone. I shakily got up and walked to the bedside. I let my hand find his cold one.

"I'll see you again. I don't know how long it'll be, but I'll see you again." I promised him.

-SasuNaru-Sakura's POV-

We hadn't buried the body yet. It had only been a day and we were still waiting for people to arrive from other villages before we held the funeral. I held a few flowers in my hand that I had picked myself as I headed to the Uchiha complex. I hadn't seen Sasuke since he left the hospital, and I felt as though he needed someone more than anyone else did. I didn't bother knocking. I just entered his house with the orange flowers in hand and made my way through the building, looking for him.

-SasuNaru-Sasuke's POV-

I sat on Naruto's bed in my house, just thinking. My hands numbly ran over the kunai that I had found underneath his pillow. It was stained red with being used so many times and the handle was well worn. My eyes scanned the room once more, stopping on the bookcase. Books that were written by his godfather sat there, along with some manga. And a book that I'd never seen before. It was a red book with no title. I got up and made my way towards it. Then I grabbed it and returned to my spot on his bed. I noticed a red swirl in the middle of it and a lock. But it was still opened. I carefully opened it to see Sakura's handwriting on the very front page.

**'I am alone.'**

That was the very first thing that Naruto had written. It made my heart hurt, seeing those words. Even when he thought he was alone, he never was. He had so many friends that would've been with him if he'd only allow. I cautiously turned the next page, expecting empty pages. But I got page after page of his writing instead. Most of it was just him babbling about what happened. Hints of Kyuubi arguing appeared here and there as well. I flipped through the pages until the last one.

**'I'm happy. I love him. I really do. And I think he loves me too.**

**I'm finally okay. I'm finally happy. I'm in love.'**

Tears dripped down my cheeks as I read the last few words over and over and over again. He was just starting to get better before he died. There was starting to be hope again. He had been eating and he hadn't cut himself in who knows how long.

_He was getting better._

Then he died.

I stared emptily at the page before me, barely noticing that my tears were staining the paper and smearing the ink. I looked around wearily until I found what I was looking for. I carefully grabbed the pen and brought it to the book.

**_'I love you too. And I always will.'_** I wrote. I noticed that my hand was shaking, making my writing a little wobbly. But it made me feel better. I glanced at the kunai again and twirled it around in my hand. What was so appealing about this thing that Naruto would use it over and over again? I thought for a moment more before bringing it to my throat.

"I'll see you again, Naruto, like I promised. Just give me a few more minutes." I whispered and sliced into my skin. I made sure to not go too deep. Just deep enough that I'd bleed out in a matter of time. My skin tingled where I had cut and I could feel my blood dribbling down my neck.

Before I had time to examine the euphoria that I was in, I was swarmed by darkness.

-SasuNaru-Sakura's POV-

"Sasuke?" I called out. He hadn't answered yet and I had searched almost his entire house. I peeked into his bedroom only to shut the door. "Where could he be?" I questioned myself. I went the next door over and opened it.

Blood. Everywhere.

I felt my eyes widen and I sprang towards him. I knew that trying to heal him would be pointless, so I just held his head in my hands and cried. How was it possible that I lost the two men that I loved within a matter of hours?

-SasuNaru-

We had to wait a week before we could have the funeral. Although everyone had arrived for Naruto's funeral, we postponed it so we could bury the two lovers at the same time. So we waited for three more people to come before we started. I stood by the gates glumly. Three figures appeared from the forest and I made my way towards them.

"I'm glad you could make it. We didn't want to bury Sasuke without you guys here." I told his old teammates. Jugo, Karin, and Suigetsu looked just as sad as I felt. "I'll lead the way." I said and turned to go. I could hear Karin trying to hold back her sobs.

"Why'd you wait for us?" Suigetsu asked curiously. His voice sounded rough, like he hadn't slept very well lately.

"I didn't think it was fair. We had invited all of Naruto's friends and most of them showed up. Those who didn't come at least sent something. But Sasuke's friends weren't here. At least not all of them. We thought we should give you time to decide to come or not before we buried them." I explained sadly.

The rest of the walk was silent and the entire town felt gloomy. Everyone in the village was sad at the loss of two great ninja who they had grown close to. Once we reached the funeral site, everyone quieted. I walked to take my place beside Tsunade with Shizune on the other side.

"I know that this week has been hard on all of us. We lost two of our best ninjas. But, more importantly, we lost two very good friends. We all know now that Naruto had been having some personal issues. Sasuke did everything he could and more to try to help him and save him. He took him into his home and cared for him. Loved him. I'm sure everyone who saw those two together could see the love that that boy had for Naruto." She paused as she cleared her throat. I could tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She looked at the book on a stand in between them. The journal that I had given Naruto. It was turned to the page with both of their handwriting on it. She just stared at it in silence for a few moments before continuing.

"And Naruto was a hero. Ever since he was little, he'd been stubborn and brave. These past few years I've had the honor of watching him grow stronger and wiser and into a very good ninja." She stepped away from us and towards the coffins that held the boys. She stood in the middle and placed her hand on the one to her right that held Naruto's body. Tears were starting to fall now, ones that she didn't brush away.

"He was a hero. He fought until the very end. And I don't know how he managed to do it, but he saved the village as he was dying. As all of you know, Naruto held the nine-tailed demon, Kyuubi. Usually, if the jinjuriki dies, the demon is let out. But he held the beast within his body and killed it along with himself." She said, voice cracking as she spoke the last part.

I looked up to see almost everyone's shoulders shaking with sobs that racked their bodies. Tears were falling from everyone's eyes, even Garra's, and I couldn't hold mine in anymore.

The rest of the funeral went by in a haze. At some point, we all put flowers on the coffins. And I noticed that people who didn't even know Sasuke put something on his. I numbly put my flowers on their coffins, orange ones for Naruto and dark blue ones for Sasuke. In each was a single pink rose, just to have a part of me with each of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sorry.  
> This chapter always makes me sad when I read it.  
> And it's over~  
> I hope you all enjoyed it (even you guests!)


End file.
